Do the Sutures Fuse Again After Craniosynostosis

May 14, 2022 Post a Comment

Overview

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Craniosynostosis (kray-nee-o-sin-os-TOE-sis) is a disorder nowadays at birth in which one or more than of the fibrous joints between the bones of your baby'due south skull (cranial sutures) close prematurely (fuse), earlier your infant'southward encephalon is fully formed. Brain growth continues, giving the head a misshapen advent.

Unremarkably, during infancy the sutures remain flexible, allowing a babe's skull to aggrandize every bit the encephalon grows. In the front of the skull, the sutures encounter in the big soft spot (fontanel) on meridian of the head. The inductive fontanel is the soft spot felt just behind a infant'due south forehead. The next largest fontanel is at the back (posterior). Each side of the skull has a tiny fontanel.

Craniosynostosis usually involves premature fusion of a single cranial suture, but it can involve more than than one of the sutures in a baby'south skull (multiple suture craniosynostosis). In rare cases, craniosynostosis is caused past certain genetic syndromes (syndromic craniosynostosis).

Treating craniosynostosis involves surgery to correct the shape of the head and allow for encephalon growth. Early diagnosis and treatment allow your infant'southward brain adequate space to abound and develop.

Although neurological damage can occur in severe cases, most children develop as expected in their ability to call back and reason (cerebral development) and have adept corrective results later on surgery. Early diagnosis and treatment are key.

Symptoms

The signs of craniosynostosis are usually noticeable at nativity, but they go more apparent during the get-go few months of your baby's life. Signs and severity depend on how many sutures are fused and when in encephalon development the fusion occurs. Signs and symptoms can include:

A misshapen skull, with the shape depending on which of the sutures are affected
Development of a raised, hard ridge along affected sutures, with a change in the shape of the head that'southward non typical

Types of craniosynostosis

There are several types of craniosynostosis. Most involve the fusion of a single cranial suture. Some complex forms of craniosynostosis involve the fusion of multiple sutures. Multiple suture craniosynostosis is unremarkably linked to genetic syndromes and is called syndromic craniosynostosis.

The term given to each type of craniosynostosis depends on what sutures are affected. Types of craniosynostosis include:

Sagittal (scaphocephaly). Premature fusion of the sagittal suture that runs from the front to the dorsum at the top of the skull forces the head to abound long and narrow. This head shape is called scaphocephaly. Sagittal craniosynostosis is the most common type of craniosynostosis.
Coronal. Premature fusion of ane of the coronal sutures (unicoronal) that run from each ear to the top of the skull may cause the brow to flatten on the affected side and bulge on the unaffected side. It too leads to turning of the nose and a raised eye socket on the affected side. When both coronal sutures fuse prematurely (bicoronal), the head has a brusque and wide appearance, often with the brow tilted forrad.
Metopic. The metopic suture runs from the top of the bridge of the nose upward through the midline of the forehead to the anterior fontanel and the sagittal suture. Premature fusion gives the forehead a triangular appearance and widens the back part of the head. This caput shape is also called trigonocephaly.
Lambdoid. Lambdoid synostosis is a rare type of craniosynostosis that involves the lambdoid suture, which runs forth the back of the caput. Information technology may crusade one side of a infant's head to appear flat, one ear to exist higher than the other ear and tilting of the meridian of the head to one side.

Other reasons for a misshapen head

A misshapen head doesn't always indicate craniosynostosis. For example, if the back of your infant'southward head appears flattened, information technology could be the consequence of spending besides much time lying on one side of the head. This tin be treated with regular position changes, or if significant, with helmet therapy (cranial orthosis) to help reshape the head to a more than counterbalanced appearance.

When to run into a doctor

Your wellness intendance provider volition routinely monitor your child'south head growth at well-child visits. Talk to your pediatrician if you lot accept concerns about your babe's caput growth or shape.

Causes

Oft the cause of craniosynostosis is not known, just sometimes it's related to genetic disorders.

Nonsyndromic craniosynostosis is the most mutual type of craniosynostosis. Its cause is unknown, although it's thought to exist a combination of genes and environmental factors.
Syndromic craniosynostosis is caused past certain genetic syndromes, such as Apert syndrome, Pfeiffer syndrome or Crouzon syndrome, which can affect a babe'due south skull development. These syndromes unremarkably as well include other physical features and wellness issues.

Complications

If untreated, craniosynostosis may crusade, for example:

Permanently misshapen caput and face
Poor cocky-esteem and social isolation

The hazard of increased pressure inside the skull (intracranial pressure) from simple craniosynostosis is small-scale if the suture and head shape are fixed surgically. Simply babies with an underlying syndrome may develop increased intracranial pressure level if their skulls don't expand enough to make room for their growing brains.

If untreated, increased intracranial pressure can cause: