METOPIC CRANIOSYNOSTOSIS

What is craniosynostosis? Craniosynostosis is the early fusion of one or more of the sutures (specialized joints between skull bones that enable expansion of the skull during normal brain growth) between the bony plates of the skull. When the sutures fuse too early, the skull cannot grow normally. How is craniosynostosis treated? Surgery to reshape the skull is the most common treatment. Only one incision is needed, which is made in a zigzag line from just above one ear to just above the other, within the child's hair. We have found that the scar blends in very well and is usually covered completely by the hair within months of the surgery. The neurosurgeon on the team removes the affected suture and the craniofacial plastic surgeon reshapes the skull bones into a more normal shape. The new shape is held together by plates and screws while the bone heals. The plates and screws are made of a special material that breaks down and dissolves completely in one or two years. After the operation, the child is cared for in the intensive care unit for one to three nights and then spends the rest of the stay on the ward. The usual stay in the hospital lasts three to five days. The surgery is typically performed before the baby is 1 year old, but sometimes doctors suggest just watching a child with mild craniosynostosis to see how the skull will grow. The treatment of simple craniosynostosis may require only one surgery before the baby is 1 year old.