Preoperative Frontal and Parietal Bone Thickness Assessment to Predict Blood Loss and Transfusion During Extended Suturectomy for Isolated Sagittal Craniosynostosis.

Objective: To predict the morbidity of sagittal suturectomy using preoperative computer tomographic measurement of frontal and parietal bone thickness in osteotomy sites.

Design: Retrospective analysis.

Setting: Tertiary children's hospital.

Patients: Fifty infants with nonsyndromic, isolated sagittal craniosynostosis who underwent extended sagittal suturectomy from 2015-2022.

Methods: Mean thickness of the frontal and parietal bone in regions of osteotomies were determined for each patient from preoperative CT images obtained within 30 days prior to suturectomy. The relationship between bone thickness (mm) and estimated blood loss (mL) was evaluated using Spearman's correlation and a multivariable model that adjusted for patient weight and surgery duration. The association between bone thickness and perioperative blood transfusion was evaluated using a multivariable logistic model controlling for patient weight and surgery duration.

Main outcome measures: Estimated blood loss, perioperative blood transfusion.

Results: Frontal and parietal bone thickness in the region of osteotomies were positively correlated with estimated blood loss (p < 0.01). After adjusting for patient weight and duration of operation, both parietal and frontal bone thickness were associated with intraoperative blood loss (R²= 0.292, p = 0.002 and R²= 0.216, p = 0.026). Thicker frontal and parietal bone in the line of osteotomies resulted in significantly higher odds of blood transfusion. Bone thickness in the line of parietal osteotomies was 76% accurate at identifying patients who would require blood transfusion (p = 0.004).

Conclusions: Frontal and parietal bone thickness in the line of osteotomies is associated with blood loss and perioperative blood transfusion for sagittal suturectomy operations.