Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonic examination in suspected craniosynostosis among infants.

The current study was performed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound compared to CT scan as a gold standard in the diagnosis of craniosynostosis. 44 infants (17 girls) under 1 year old, clinically suspected to have craniosynostosis, were first sonographically examined by a pediatric radiologist and were later referred to another blinded pediatric radiologist to examine CT scan with 3D reconstructed images of skull. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of ultrasound versus CT scan were 96.9%, 100%, 100%, and 92.3%, respectively. The high specificity of ultrasound helps to correctly rule out craniosynostosis in clinically suspected cases and thus, can prevent unnecessary exposure of healthy infants to CT scan ionizing radiation.