Spring-mediated skull expansion: overall effects in sutural and parasutural areas. An experimental study in rabbits Expansão craniana com molas: efeitos globais nas áreas suturais e parassuturais. Estudo experimental em coelhos

Content Partner: Directory of Open Access Journals. PURPOSE: The use of springs in cranial expansion has proven to be effective in the treatment of craniosynostosis. Spring-mediated expansion has been studied both in the sagittal and in parasagittal regions, especially in scaphocephaly. A rabbit model was used in the present study to analyze the effects of springs on the cranial vault and sutures. METHODS: Thirteen 4-week-old New Zealand rabbits were divided into 4 groups: in group I, only amalgam markers were used as control; in group II, amalgam markers were used and sagittal suturectomy was performed; in group III, amalgam markers were used, a sagittal suturectomy was performed and an expansible spring was fitted in the interparietal region and in group IV, markers were used and linear parasagittal craniectomy was carried out with springs. Animals were sacrificed after 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Radiological control and histological analysis were performed in the area of spring implantation. RESULTS: In the groups using springs distraction of the craniectomy borders was greater than in those that did not use springs. New bone formation was observed in all groups, and was faster in group II. Bone growth started from the borders and depth. Bone regeneration presented a similar histological pattern in the groups with spring in the sagittal and parasagittal region. CONCLUSION: The rabbit model proved to be adequate for the analysis proposed by the study. The use of springs in the groups with sagittal and parasagittal osteotomy led to a similar distraction of amalgam markers and both groups had similar ossification histological pattern.OBJETIVO: O uso de molas na expansão craniana tem provado ser efetivo no tratamento da craniossinostoses. A expansão com molas tem sido estudada nas regiões sagital e parassagital, especialmente nas escafocefalias. Um modelo com coelho foi usado no presente estudo para analizar os efeitos das molas sobre a calota craniana e suturas. MÉTODOS: Treze coelhos Nova Zelândia, com quarto semanas de vida, foram divididos em quatro grupos: no grupo I, somente marcadores de amálgama foram implantados como controle; no grupo II, marcadores de amálgama foram implantados e foi retirada a sutura sagital; no grupo III, marcadores de amálgama foram implantados, foi retirada a sutura sagital e foi colocada uma mola expansora na região interparietal e no grupo IV, marcadores de amálgamas foram implantados, uma craniectomia linear parassagital foi re