Premature closure of the sutures may also cause the pressure inside of the head to increase, which can affect brain development. Craniosynostosis occurs in one out of 2, live births and affects males slightly more often than females. It most often occurs by chance, but sometimes it is inherited genetically. In infants with this condition, changes in the shape of the head and face may be noticeable and are generally the first and only symptom. Occasionally, synostosis can increase the pressure within the skull.
This is especially true when multiple sutures are fused too early. Symptoms of too much pressure in the skull include:. The symptoms of craniosynostosis may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Different names are given to the various types of craniosynostosis, depending on which sutures are involved, including:. Surgery is typically the recommended treatment. The goal of treatment is to reduce the pressure in the head and correct the deformities of the face and skull bones. For babies up to 6 months of age, CHOC is the only hospital in the region to offer a minimally invasive, endoscopic procedure.
Two small incisions are made and a small strip of bone is removed, to allow the head to grow normally. Babies typically go home from the hospital the next day and will wear a temporary helmet. Following the operation, it is common for children to have a very swollen face and eyelids. The surgery itself takes approximately one hour and involves less blood loss compared with cranial vault remodeling, so there is less chance of requiring a blood transfusion.
Your baby will stay in the hospital overnight for monitoring before being released to go home. This type of surgery is followed by the use of a molding helmet to reshape the skull.
Additional appointments with the helmet provider orthotist will be necessary for fitting the helmet to your child. You can expect to follow up with your surgery team every three months for the first year post-surgery to check progress of the skull reshaping.
Following craniosynostosis surgery, your child will likely have a turbanlike dressing around his or her head, and may experience swelling in the face and eyelids. Your child will spend the period after surgery in an intensive care unit for close monitoring. The care team will watch closely for any problems after surgery, such as:. The recovery process is different for each child. The degree of the problems depends on the severity of the craniosynostosis, the number of sutures that are fused, and the presence of brain or other organ system problems that could affect the child.
A child with craniosynostosis requires frequent medical evaluations to ensure that the skull, facial bones, jaw alignment and brain are developing normally.
Each year, the Johns Hopkins Cleft and Craniofacial Center treats approximately babies and children with cleft lip and palate or other craniofacial conditions. Our goal is to help our patients achieve their full potential, without being defined or limited by facial differences.
Health Home Conditions and Diseases. What is craniosynostosis? What causes craniosynostosis? Craniosynostosis Symptoms In infants with this condition, the most common signs are changes in the shape of the head and face.
Sometimes, though, more than one suture closes too early. In these instances, the brain might not have enough room to grow to its usual size. This can lead to a build-up of pressure inside the skull. Read her story as well as other stories from families affected by craniosynostosis ». Researchers estimate that about 1 in every 2, babies is born with craniosynostosis in the United States.
The causes of craniosynostosis in most infants are unknown. Some babies have a craniosynostosis because of changes in their genes. In some cases, craniosynostosis occurs because of an abnormality in a single gene, which can cause a genetic syndrome. However, in most cases, craniosynostosis is thought to be caused by a combination of genes and other factors, such as things the mother comes in contact with in her environment, or what the mother eats or drinks, or certain medications she uses during pregnancy.
CDC, like the many families of children with birth defects, wants to find out what causes these conditions. Understanding the factors that are more common among babies with a birth defect will help us learn more about the causes. Recently, CDC reported on important findings from research studies about some factors that increase the chance of having a baby with craniosynostosis:.
There are two broad categories of surgery for craniosynostosis. Regardless of category, it is important to emphasize that while this is skull surgery and not brain surgery, the procedures are still considered major operations. It is requires an early diagnosis as it is only done during the first few months of life.
This procedure involves removing the fused suture and strips of bone with an endoscope or lighted retractor through two small incisions. This less invasive surgery is followed by several months in a specially designed helmet to help mold the child's skull into normal shape.
We are the only team in Northern California with extensive experience with this surgery and our results have been excellent. The more invasive, or traditional repair, is typically done when the child is months in age. In this involved surgery we rearrange the bones in the skull to achieve a normal skull shape and size.
The time in the operating room and the time in the hospital are typically longer. In a traditional repair for older children, major portions of the skull are removed to mechanically reconstruct the skull and the incision is from the top of one ear to the top of the other. The incisions are all made behind the patient's hairline.
The long-term outcomes for most patients with craniosynostosis are excellent. Surgery is generally recommended to reduce the chance of increased brain pressure from the skull not having enough room for the brain.
This increased brain pressure can cause brain damage. Also, surgery is generally recommended to help these children have a normal head shape for self-esteem and social issues.
Without surgery the deformity of the head will continue to worsen as long as the head keeps growing in size.
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