Dura-based automated vault expansion remodelling (DAVE-R): automated planning of volume expansion in fronto-orbital advancement for trigonocephaly

Cranial vault remodelling for craniosynostosis aims to increase intracranial volume to facilitate brain growth, avoid the development of raised intracranial pressure and address cosmesis. The extent of vault expansion is predominantly limited by scalp closure and reconstruction technique. Virtual surgical planning tools have been developed to predict post-operative changes and guide expansion. We present a validation study of a novel ‘Dura-based Automated Vault Expansion-Remodeling’ (DAVE-R) model to guide pre-operative planning for fronto-orbital advancement and remodelling (FOAR).

Patients with trigonocephaly who underwent FOAR with pre- and post-operative imaging from 2018 to 2020 were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Post-operative scans, normative atlas and whole brain parcellation were registered to the pre-operative images to quantify the change in intracranial volume and morphology (utilising measurement of fronto-orbital advancement and bifrontozygomatic distance) compared to that predicted by the DAVE-R model.

Ten patients were included. The DAVE-R model predicted bifrontozygomatic distances of 92.0 + / − 5.14 mm (mean + /SD), which closely matched the post-operative results of 92.7 + / − 6.02 mm (mean + / − SD); (t(d.f. 9) = -0.306, p = 0.77). The fronto-orbital advancement predicted by the DAVE-R method was 11.5 + / − 1.96 mm (mean + / − SD) which was significantly greater than 8.6 + / − 2.94 mm (mean ± SD); (t(d.f. 9) = 3.137, p = 0.01) achieved post-operatively.

We demonstrate that the DAVE-R model provides an objective means of extracting realistic surgical goals in patients undergoing FOAR for trigonocephaly that closely correlates with post-operative outcomes. The normative dural model warrants further study and validation for other forms of craniosynostosis correction.