Researchers At Childrens Healthcare Of Atlanta Receive National Award For Craniofacial Study

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 07 Nov 2008 - 4:00 PST

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The largest craniosynostosis study to date receives the Best Paper Award from the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons; Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta researchers collaborate with multi-institutional team

The American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons (ASMS) recently announced the recipients of the 2008 Best Paper Award. The team included Children's Healthcare of Atlanta neuropsychologist, Lauren Buono, Ph.D., and study coordinator, Kara Kenkel Jorgensen.

The ASMS gave the award in recognition of the team's paper "Neurodevelopment of Infants with Single-suture Craniosynostosis: Pre-surgery Comparisons with Case-matched Controls" published in the May 2008 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

As the largest study of children with craniosynostosis, the research includes more than 500 families from four craniofacial centers: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Seattle 's Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center , St. Louis Children's Hospital and Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago . The current research provides a comprehensive neurodevelopment study of children with craniosynostosis across multiple neuropsychological domains. The study also plans to develop predictive models of functional outcome based on severity of skull malformation, age of corrective surgery and post-surgery changes in cranial shape.

"Visible changes are easier to measure, and the needs are more readily defined. It is much more difficult to understand and measure those things that we think may be true but are not available to our senses. This is what Dr. Buono and her colleagues have done, in part, with this new study," said Joseph K. Williams, M.D., Medical Staff President, Children's at Scottish Rite, and Medical Director of Craniofacial Research at Children's.

The research revealed that before and after surgery, the development of infants with single-suture craniosynostosis slightly lags behind infants without craniosynostosis.

Genetic mutations also are less common than anticipated. In the study, approximately 5 percent of the children were found to have a genetic cause for their craniosynostosis. Among babies with sagittal synostosis, the severity of a presurgery skull malformation is not associated with the level of developmental skill. After surgery, infants with and without synostosis had about the same levels of memory skill and impulsivity. A full understanding of the child's long term outcome is pending follow-up into their early elementary years.

Once completed, research contributor, Dr. Buono is anticipating groundbreaking results for the craniofacial study as previous research on the congenital anomaly have focused on small samples and limited study designs.

"This multi-institutional study has provided the unique opportunity to follow a large sample of children with craniosynostosis from infancy to early elementary school. With this research, we hope to clarify the factors that contribute to neurodevelopmental outcome in these children and to fully understand the role of the congenital defect in such biopsychosocial outcomes," said Lauren Buono, Ph.D., Neuropsychologist, Center for Craniofacial Disorders, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.

The study began in 2001 with projections to end in 2012. As this research involves a longitudinal approach, the study children will have reached age 7 once the study is completed.

Each year, the ASMS reviews all maxillofacial and craniofacial papers published in the peer-reviewed journal and selects the best scientific and clinical papers to receive this prestigious award. The award will be presented to the team at the November conference in Chicago .

Dr. Buono was part of a multidisciplinary team led by Matthew Speltz, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at University of Washington School of Medicine and Chief of Outpatient Psychiatry Services at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle . Their investigation was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the National Institutes of Health.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta