Prospective Evaluation of Health-Related Quality-of-Life in Children with Craniosynostosis

Abstract

Objective

To investigate health-related quality of life (HRQL) in children aged 2 to 7 years, who have undergone surgery for craniosynostosis.

Design

Cross-sectional survey.

Setting

A tertiary pediatric academic medical center.

Participants

Children with craniosynostosis who underwent surgical correction, and who were 2–7 years old at the time of the study. Children from families that did not speak English were excluded.

Interventions

Caregivers were asked to fill out the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Core Parent Report and the PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale.

Main outcome measures

PedsQL: Psychosocial Health Summary Score, Physical Health Summary Score, Total Core Score, Cognitive Functioning Scale Score. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores reflecting greater QoL

Subject factors: comorbidities, syndromic status, type of craniosynostosis, type of surgery

Results

The study included 53 subjects, of whom 13.2% had a syndrome. Core and cognitive scores did not depend on presence of a syndrome or suture involved. Subjects who underwent posterior cranial distraction achieved higher Total Core Scores than subjects who underwent open vault remodeling. Among subjects with sagittal craniosynostosis, there was a tendency for higher scores among children who underwent minimally-invasive surgery compared to those who underwent open vault remodeling.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates similar HRQL among children with and without a syndrome, higher HRQL among children undergoing posterior cranial distraction than those undergoing open vault remodeling, and trends towards higher HRQL in children with sagittal craniosynostosis who underwent minimally-invasive surgery compared to those who underwent open vault remodeling.