Role of parental risk factors in the aetiology of isolated non-syndromic metopic craniosynostosis

To try and identify potential parental risk factors for isolated non-syndromic metopic craniosynostosis, we did a telephone survey of parents of children who attended the craniofacial centre at Birmingham Children's Hospital (BCH), UK, from 1995 to 2004. We calculated the prevalence of a number of potential risk factors and compared them with those of the general population.A total of 103 children with syndromic or non-syndromic isolated metopic craniosynostosis were seen, of which 81 (79%) had non-syndromic, isolated metopic craniosynostosis (M:F ratio 3:1). The response rate to the telephone survey was 72%. The prevalences of maternal epilepsy and the use of valproate, antenatal maternal complications (hypertension or pre-eclampsia, haemorrhage, and urinary tract infection), and fertility treatment in our sample were significantly higher than among the general population (p = 0.01 or less in all cases).The likely roles of maternal epilepsy and taking valproate in the aetiology of isolated non-syndromic metopic craniosynostosis are further consolidated by our study. The finding that antenatal complications are possible risk factors for craniosynostosis has not to our knowledge been published previously.