Craniosynostosis is a condition in which the shape of the skull is abnormal. This occurs when two or more out of the seven bones of the cranium experience abnormal growth and the sutures that are responsible for holding them together close prematurely. The condition could occur when the child is still in the mother's womb.

Craniosynostosis surgery is the best option for correcting deformities of skull bone and face.

The condition could be attributed to isolated genes or inherited genes. A majority of cases are associated only with deformed shape of the skull. In some cases, the skull deformed as well as the facial features are deformed. In a majority of cases, surgical treatment is required and is usually performed for infants below 2 months or later when the child is between nine and twelve months.

Only a plastic surgeon who is skilled in this reconstructive surgery for the skull can correct the congenital deformity. Depending on how severe the condition is, the child may face some or all these problems:

• Abnormal forehead


• Abnormal shape of the skull


• Asymmetrical ears or eyes


• Intracranial pressure due to which delays can be caused in development. If correction is not done at the right time, the brain may suffer permanent damage.

Specific Treatments for Craniosynostosis

Established plastic surgery centers offer treatment for craniosynostosis to resolve specific conditions:

• Metopic Synostosis: In this condition, the forehead is triangular in shape. There is a wide variation in the deformity. Sometimes, it is very mild and no operative intervention may be required at all. However, surgery is necessary for cases that are very obvious. Usually, this is done when the infant is 9 to 11 months.



• Sagittal Synostosis: This is the most common type of premature suture fusion. Treatment gives best results when the infant is below 2 months of age. Formal cranial vault remodeling is performed to widen the biparietal distance and also shorten the distance between the frontal and posterior of the skull. The treatment is minimally invasive and results in a properly shaped head.



• Unilateral Coronal Synostosis: This condition involves deformities of the forehead, nose and the eye. This reconstructive surgery gives best results if it is performed on the infants when they are 9 to 12 months of age. The bone is reshaped to create the forehead and the brow. The face is provided with symmetry and a more a natural look.



• Multiple Suture Synostosis: This is a very serious condition as there is premature closure of multiple sutures of the cranium. Various surgeries may be required to correct the issue. Multiple techniques may be used for controlling the elevated intracranial pressure. This includes early shunting, fronto-orbital advancement surgery and early monoblock advancement procedures.