“Craniosynostosis”
Craniosynostosis is a birth defect, a condition in which the sutures of the skull close too early, causing problems with normal brain and skull growth on an infant. It is caused by exterior pressure to the infant’s skull or hereditary (Ahn, pg1). Depending on the type of craniosynostosis your infant has and the severity of the craniosynostosis that will determine the treatment for the infant. In order to understand craniosynostosis you will need to know more about an infant’s skull. The skull of an infant or young child is made up of bony plates that allow for growth of the skull. The borders at which these plates intersect are called sutures or suture lines. The sutures between these bony plates normally close by the time the child is 2 or 3 years old. Early closing of a suture causes the craniosynostosis. It is important that this condition be diagnosed as early as possible due to the severity of what the intracranial pressure can do to the brain.
My son Jeremiah was born in October of 2008. My pregnancy was high risk, because previously I had 3 miscarriages. During this pregnancy I had placenta Previa, my son was also facing my organs, so every time he moved or kick I could feel it in the inside. He was also a breech baby. During his first year he went through all the formulas in the store and by the time he was one he was on pediasure. He had poor eating and projectile vomiting; he would cry out of the blue (not a normal cry). The veins on his forehead and temples were very visible, and the back of his head was growing flat, his little face was getting deformed. I took him in to see the pediatrician and he finally agree to do an x-ray, later on that day the doctor called to tell me the results of the x-ray. Jeremiah was diagnosed with left lambdoid synostosis which is one of the rarest types of craniosynostosis. “Craniosynostosis occurs in one out of 2,200 live birth and affects males more often than females” (Ahn, pg1). Once out of my state of shock I googled his condition and became obsess to know everything about it, so a lot of the stuff that I know is from different websites I visited throughout the years since his diagnosis. Jeremiah was referred to Massachusetts General Hospital to the chief of pediatric neurosurgery Dr. William Butler M.D. When Jeremiah went to see him he automatically ordered a CT-scan/CAT scan 3D imaging which that confirm, the left lambdoid suture had been fuse shut and that he had developed severe intracranial pressure. The recommendation of the surgeon was surgery, to release the pressure to the brain as soon as possible. So on May 17, 2010 my son Jeremiah had an 8 hour surgery to repair and release the pressure to his brain. Today he is doing just fine, after surgery he had early intervention services and speech and behavioral therapy at the clinic, a lot of appointments and follow ups but all worth it. Now he is healthy and we are looking forward to see everything he will accomplish.
There are many different types of craniosynostosis. The term given to each type depends on what sutures are affected. Some of the most common types of craniosynostosis are: Sagittal synostosis (scaphocephaly), Coronal synostosis (anterior plagiocephaly), Bicoronal synostosis (brachycephaly), and the two less common types of craniosynostosis are: Metopic synostosis (trigonocephaly) and Lambdoid synostosis (posterior plagiocephaly) (Mayo Clinic Staff).
Skull deformity in infants is a continued diagnostic challenge. Lambdoid synostosis is quite rare and only occurs 2-4% of infants with craniosynostosis (1 in 300,000 live births). It’s often confused with positional plagiocephaly and it is important to differentiate it in the first few months of life. (Schmelzer, Rodney M.D.) The reason being is that if your child has the positional plagiocephaly it can be easily corrected by a molding helmet or bands rather than surgical treatment.
The causes for premature closure of a suture in an