Plastic Surgery Chief Resident Receives Kawamoto Best Paper Award
Christina Rudolph, MD ’19, chief resident of plastic surgery, received the prestigious Kawamoto Award for Best Paper from the American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons for her podium presentation at the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association’s annual meeting, the first time Albany Medical Center has been recognized with the award.
Stephanie Bray, MD, associate professor and director of the Plastic Surgery Residency Program and the Cleft-Craniofacial Center at Albany Medical Center, was the attending author on the award. Plastic surgery residents Amanda Awad, MD ’21 and Lauren Angnardo, MD also contributed to the project.
Titled, “Residual Bony Gaps After Craniosynostosis Surgery: Are Surgical Intervention and CT Monitoring Necessary?”, the study reviewed the cases of pediatric patients under age two at Albany Medical Center who underwent endoscopic or open calvarial vault remodeling for craniosynostosis between 2011 and 2021.
The calvarial vault is the top portion of the skull that protects the brain. Craniosynostosis is when one or more sutures in an infant’s skull fuse together prematurely, which can cause significant skull deformities and can impact brain development.
The team sought to determine the number of children who had incomplete re-ossification (bony gaps or spots where the bone doesn’t fill in) following surgery, and how many required additional surgeries after the initial craniosynostosis repair. They also evaluated how many CT scans patients had post-operatively to monitor the bony gaps.
Their retrospective review found that follow-up CT scans are often not necessary to monitor the bony gaps. Rather, incomplete ossification can be identified on physical exam during post-operative visits, and, in most cases, can be managed conservatively without additional surgeries.
The results will form the basis of a quality improvement protocol. “This is a significant step in reducing unnecessary exposure to radiation for these patients,” explained Dr. Rudolph, who noted that follow-up scans should only be ordered if there is concern after an exam or based on the patient’s history.
“This study is also just one example of the emphasis our craniosynostosis team, including Dr. Bray and pediatric neurosurgeon Matthew Adamo, MD, have placed on quality improvement initiatives for our children,” she said.
A graduate of the combined degree program with Siena College, Dr. Rudolph will continue her training through a Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, starting in July.