Cosmetic satisfaction and patient-reported outcomes following surgical treatment of single-suture craniosynostosis: a systematic review

PURPOSE: This study provides a systematic review on cosmetic satisfaction and other patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) of patients who underwent surgical treatment of SSC. METHODS: A systematic review of all articles published from inception to 1 June 2022 was performed. Articles were included if they reported on subjective assessment of cosmetic satisfaction or other PROMs by patients or their families using questionnaires or interviews. RESULTS: Twelve articles, describing 724 surgical treatments of SSC, met the inclusion criteria. Cosmetic satisfaction was evaluated in the following ways: 1) use of the VAS score, binary questions or a 5-point scale to rate general, facial or skull appearance; 2) use of an aesthetic outcome staging in which personal opinion was added to the treating surgeon’s opinion; and 3) use of an evaluation of anatomical proportions of the skull and face. A trend towards an overall improvement in cosmetic satisfaction following surgical treatment of SSC was observed. Reported PROMs included general health, socioeconomic status, patients’ and their families’ rating of the normalcy and noticeability of their appearance and how much this bothered them, and patients’ answers to the Youth Quality of Life with Facial Differences (YQOL-FD) questionnaire. No clear overall trend of the reported PROMs was identified. CONCLUSION: This systematic review illuminates that there is a wide variation in outcomes for evaluating cosmetic satisfaction and other PROMs of patients who underwent surgical treatment of SSC, suggesting that further research is needed to develop an inclusive and uniform approach to assess these outcomes.