Multivariate Analysis of Variance: Finding significant growth in mice with craniofacial dysmorphology caused by the Crouzon mutation

Crouzon syndrome is characterized by growth disturbances caused by premature fusion of the cranial growth zones. A mouse model with mutation Fgfr2C342Y, equivalent to the most common Crouzon syndrome mutation (henceforth called the Crouzon mouse model), has a phenotype showing many parallels to the human counterpart. Quantifying growth in the Crouzon mouse model could test hypotheses of the relationship between craniosynostosis and dysmorphology, leading to better understanding of the causes of Crouzon syndrome as well as providing knowledge relevant for surgery planning. In the present study we used micro-CT scans of 4-week-old mice (N=5) and 6-week-old mice (N=10) with Crouzon syndrome (Fgfr2 C342Y/+) were compared to control groups of 4-week-old wild-type mice (N=5) and 6-week-old wild-type mice (N=10), respectively.