Craniosynostosis is a cause of cranial deformity consisting of the premature closure of one or more cranial sutures. This deformity prevents the skull from growing in the axis for which it is responsible and so the patient will have bulging in other areas of the skull to contain the developing brain.
This pathology affects 1 in 1,500 newborns. Craniosynostosis has a double implication. On the one hand, the cranial deformity will have an aesthetic impact and, on the other hand, if healthy sutures cannot compensate for the problem, there may be suffering of the growing brain.
For this reason, early diagnosis and treatment is important. For this purpose a clinical diagnosis is made and depending on the sutures closed early, the type of craniosynostosis is determined. The pathology is confirmed by plain radiographs or cranial CT, following a low radiation protocol.
The physician will decide the best time to perform the tests. Treatment is not difficult, but is often made more difficult by the age or low weight of the patient. These factors determine when the patient qualifies for surgery.
There are different surgical techniques depending on the suture affected, but usually two are used:
- Endoscopic surgery.
- Open surgery. When the diagnosis is early, endoscopic surgery is usually used. It is a minimally invasive technique that leaves hardly any scarring and is usually performed in children around 3 months of age.
If the diagnosis is made years later or the case is more complex, open surgery is performed. In these cases the scar is bigger although it can be concealed by the hair, but a blood transfusion is also usually necessary since the loss is important.
The final decision will be made by the pediatric neurosurgeon according to the characteristics of each patient and with the consent of the parents.
After the intervention, the child will have to undergo a permanent examination until the age of 8 years.