What You Need To Know About Craniosynostosis
While you may not have heard about Craniosynostosis before, it’s a lot more common than you think, affecting approximately one in every 2,000 babies. Because of that, there are a variety of things that you may not know about the disease, as well as the related treated. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to stay in the dark about it forever. With that in mind, there are a few things that you should know about Craniosynostosis and how it’s treated. When it comes to your child’s specific case, any good craniosynostosis nyc center or anywhere else would be able to address your specific questions.
What Is Craniosynostosis?
Craniosynostosis is a congenital premature fusion of two or more sutures in a baby’s skull. In contrast to adults, babies skulls aren’t a solid piece of bone; instead, they’re made up of some different bones separated by sutures, or seams, that prevent them from hitting each other. These sutures also allow your child’s skull to expand as their brain grows. Craniosynostosis us when these sutures fuse too early and drastically restrict skull growth. Furthermore, it can turn into a worsening head deformity if left untreated for too long. In some cases, patients can also suffer from high pressure on the brain; this pressure can also cause headaches, developmental delay, and eye problems. However, this isn’t the case with everyone.
Symptoms Of Craniosynostosis
The most common sign and symptom of Craniosynostosis is an oddly shaped head at birth; this deformity can also become visible a few months after birth. This deformity also becomes a lot more noticeable over time and can end up affecting your child more and more. Furthermore, there are also the likes of headaches, developmental delay, and eye problems, as we already mentioned above. As we mentioned, these may not be evident in every case. There are also a variety of symptoms that will begin should the deformity be left alone and untreated; with that in mind, it’s best to get it treated as soon as possible.
How Is Craniosynostosis Diagnosed?
The deformity is normally diagnosed by a specialist, such as a neurosurgeon or plastic surgeon. They will first examine your child’s head shape before running a few specific tests, such as a CT scan, to confirm the diagnosis. Because of the nature of the deformity, it’s somewhat simple to diagnose no matter what stage of development it’s at.
How Is Craniosynostosis Treated?
The easiest and most effective treatment is surgery, which is typically performed by a pediatric neurosurgeon and pediatric plastic surgeon. This is because it’s the only way to treat the disorder and unfuse your child’s sutures effectively. Should your medical professional recommend surgery, they will be able to have a detailed discussion with you about exactly what will be involved. This is because there are a variety of different surgical options available depending on how fused the sutures are and where the fusion is. When the surgery is done, there shouldn’t be too much of a recovery time needed, due to the tools and practices used in the surgery.