ult of one of several known syndromes (Crouzon, Apert, Pfeiffer, Carpenter, etc.).
Diagnosis of Craniosynostosis
It may not be immediately obvious that your child has a problem. Craniosynostosis reveals itself as your baby’s brain begins to grow. This is just one of the many reasons you should be sure to establish a relationship with your pediatrician immediately.
It is recommended that your baby be examined 2 to 4 weeks after birth, then again at 2 months and again at 4 months.
In most cases of craniosynostosis, it is the suture at the top of the child’s head that fuses prematurely. This will cause an abnormal head shape. Sometimes, however, those same abnormalities may be caused by positional molding—a result of the child sleeping many long hours on its back (as is often recommended by pediatricians). This can usually be corrected with physical therapy and/or a helmet.
If there is any doubt at all of the cause, your child should be seen by a craniofacial surgeon.
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Thanks to advances in pediatric medicine, most children with craniosynostosis will receive an early diagnosis. Approximately 75% of the surgeries performed by our team are minimally-invasive, endoscopic surgeries in the first three months of life.
This surgery requires only a very small incision. The required hospital stay after surgery is usually very brief. Beginning two weeks after surgery, your child will need to wear a helmet for about a year.
As parents, your diligent care is absolutely the most important factor in ensuring a good result. The child will need to wear the helmet according to doctor’s orders and be seen regularly by an orthotics specialist in order to maintain the helmet’s proper fit.
Traditional Cranial Vault Surgery
After six months, endoscopic surgery is not recommended.
The traditional surgery to relieve craniosynostosis requires several hours of cranial vault surgery in order to resect and reshape the bones of the skull. (While mesh and/or screws will be used to hold the bones in place, thanks to yet another miracle of modern science, this “hardware” is most often made of materials that the body can safely absorb.)
Your baby will need to be under general anesthesia during this procedure.
After an extended hospital stay, a second procedure may be required, and so follow-up care is essential to achieving a successful result. While this procedure is “major surgery,” which always risks complications, craniofacial surgeons have been performing it for years with excellent results.
The child will not need to wear a helmet thereafter.
Craniosynostosis and Your Child’s Development
There is something miraculous about birth, about a child’s first months of life, and no one knows that more than the physicians and health care professionals who care for your infant. Establishing a good relationship with an ACPA-approved craniofacial team will ensure the best possible care and all the support that you, as parents, need in the care of your newborn child.
Craniosynostosis can result in deformity and brain trauma if left untreated.
Once corrected by surgery, however, after a couple of weeks it will be time for your baby to grow up normally. As parents, you will be required to take only the most normal precautions. “Don’t drop her!” “Be careful of his head!” And be sure that the child receives regular checkups in the first years of life.