Craniosynostosis

Abstract

On the surface, premature closure of one or more sutures of the skull may appear to be a straightforward malformation that leads to a specific, recognizable pattern of symptoms and signs, an anomaly that can be corrected simply by a surgical procedure. But in fact, craniosynostosis, which occurs in approximately I in 2500 children, is a dynamic process, the external reflection of a series of complex conditions that may cause an underlying abnormality not only in the skull but in other systems. In most cases, surgical repair of both the fused sutures and the resulting craniofacial asymmetry will resolve the primary problems caused by craniosynostosis, namely, compression of the brain because of lack of space, functional anomalies of the eye due to aberrant placement of the orbits, and sometimes, grotesque distortion of the facies.