Craniosynostosis

It is estimated that 1 of 3,100 to 3,500 infants are diagnosed with craniosynostosis or premature fusion of the cranial sutures (spaces between the skull bone plates).

Although many infants have mis-shapened heads from:

• Delivery at birth and positioning on the back (deformational plagiocephaly)
  
  
• Tight neck muscles (torticollis)
  
  
• Ocular movement problems
  
  
• Cervical spine abnormalities
  
  
• These groups of patients do not require surgery

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Patients with craniosynostosis require surgical release of the fused sutures (excision) and cranial vault remodeling.

At UCLA the craniofacial team of craniofacial surgeons, neurosurgeons, pediatricians, geneticists and others evaluate all patients and recommend treatment. Procedures are tailored to the individual needs of the patient. The team is very experienced in treating patients with:

• scaphocephaly or sagittal suture fusion
• plagiocephaly or unilateral coronal suture fusion
• brachycephaly or bilateral coronal synostosis
• trigonocephaly or metopic suture fusion
• (the more rare) lamboidal synostosis or posterior plagiocepahly.

Before	After
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The team works closely with the UCLA pediatric anethesiologists and critical care team who provide a safe recovery.

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