Lesley M. Foley1, Wendy Fellows-Mayle2, T Kevin Hitchens1,3, Joseph E. Losee4,5, M I. Siegel6, M P. Mooney6, Chien Ho1,3
1Pittsburgh NMR Center for Biomedical Research, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 2Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 3Department of Biological Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh , PA, USA; 4Division of Pediatric Plastic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 5Pittsburgh Cleft-Craniofacial Center, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh , PA, USA; 6Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Craniosynostosis occurs in 400 per 1,000,000 live births and is associated with elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). Elevated ICP in craniosynostosis has, in turn, been associated with changes in ventricle volume and cerebral blood flow (CBF). Remarkably early-onset cranial synostotic (EOCS) rabbits at 25 days of age displayed areas of high CBF on the peridural surfaces of the brain, which coincides with a period of increased ICP. By 42 days of age, CBF in the pial vasculature no longer demonstrated high CBF in EOCS rabbits which follows a lowering of ICP at this age.