BRAIN DAMAGE DUE TO CRANIOSYNOSTOSIS

Craniosynostosis is a birth defect occurs when two or more joints in a baby’s skull close prematurely before your baby’s brain is fully formed. Even after the fusion of the bones, brain growth continues, giving the head a misshapen appearance. The skull of a newborn baby is made up of many separate bones that are not properly fused together. It is important that the bones of the baby’s skull remain open because the brain grows quickly in the first two years of life. Many of the separate bones fuse completely in the late teen years. Fusion of the separate bones in the baby’s skull leads to increased pressure inside the head and facial bones that in turn can change the normal physical appearance of the head.

This birth defect is one of the most frequently occurring defects among infants in India, mainly affect 1 of every 2000 births. You can find the effective and best treatment of craniosynostosis in Delhi at BLK super speciality hospital.

Causes and Symptoms of craniosynostosis

Some of the symptoms of this condition usually appear at the time of birth but they become more noticeable after 2-3 months. For the early diagnosis, your paediatrician has to take the regular examination of your infant’s head to check in case craniosynostosis is present. The common symptoms are:

• A distorted skull shape.

• The growth of the head is slower as compared to the body.

• An unusual fontanel of the baby’s head.

• Disappeared fontanel

This birth defect could be inherited in some babies. For rest, it can be caused by:

• A defect in the cells of sutures

• An unusual position of the foetus in the womb that increase the pressure on the head.

• Things a mother comes in contact with her environment.

• Certain medications a mother used during her pregnancy.

Four main types of craniosynostosis are:

It is possible that your baby has more than one type of craniosynostosis. Symptoms of each type of craniosynostosis are different.

Coronal craniosynostosis: It affects the shape of the front of the head. It accounts for 20-30& of the cases.

Saggital craniosynostosis: Saggital sutures fuse together before birth, cause the skull being long from front to back but narrow from side to side.

Metopic craniosynostosis: It is also called trigonocephaly as the babies with this form develop a triangularly shaped scalp.

Lambdoid craniosynostosis: Its a very rare type of craniosynostosis when lambdoid suture which occurs at the back of the baby’s head fuses before birth causing one side of the baby’s head appears flat. This condition also causes one ear of the baby normally appears higher than the other ear.

Complications associated with craniosynostosis

Craniosynostosis if left untreated can cause further complications in the baby such as:

• A permanent facial and head deformity

• Delays in the allover development

• Development of lethargy in the baby

• Blindness

• Poor social isolation and poor self-esteem

• Disorders of eye movement

• Other cognitive impairments

Craniosynostosis and brain damage

• Craniosynostosis occurs when the fibrous joints between plates fuse too early in an infant’s skull.

• With the development of multiple craniosynostoses, your baby’s brain growth can be impeded by the unyielding skull.

• A noticeable ridge along the forehead is usually developed in the infants having metopic synostosis. The shape of the skull in these babies becomes triangular and pointed because of that ridge which can literally squeeze the brain of the infant.

• The pressure into the brain can cause permanent brain damage if this problem goes unnoticed for approximately 18 months or more.

Diagnosis

Physical examination: A physical examination is usually sufficient to diagnose the symptoms of craniosynostosis. A prematurely closed bony prominence over the suture is the prime evidence of the condition.

X-Ray: Doctors often perform X-ray to confirm the condition

Imaging studies: Computerized tomographic scan of the infant’s skull is usually done by doctors to confirm whether any suture has fused.

Radioisotope bone scan: A radioisotope bone scan can be perform in questionable  cases.

Your doctor may also ask a history of inherited disorders in the family.

Treatment of Craniosynostosis

• Treatment is not required in all cases. A child with a normal shape of head which has not been recognized as the abnormal shape in the first 6-7 months of life usually doesn’t require surgery.

• Mild symptoms also don’t require treatment. Your doctor might give you a specially moulded helmet to reshape your baby’s skull in the case when a head shape is abnormal.

• Surgery is mainly recommended for the infant having an abnormal size and shape of the head or with elevated intracranial pressure caused by a limited area for the brain to grow.

• The abnormality in the shape of the head can also affect the facial shape.

Surgery: Surgery is the primary treatment for the infant’s having a severe problem. A team of craniofacial surgeons and neurosurgeons usually performs the surgery. There are two types of surgery depends on the extent of craniosynostosis.

Endoscopic Surgery: This is the minimally invasive technique, mainly considered for the infant’s having a single fused suture. The surgeon opens the affected suture by placing a small scalp incision, to allow your baby’s brain to grow. The main benefit of this procedure over open surgery is that is causes a little incision and typically involve only one or two-night hospital stay.

Open surgery: Open surgery is preferred for babies older than 6 years. The affected portion of the skull is reshaped by placing an incision in the scalp and cranial bone. It involves a longer hospital stay and requires a blood transfusion. To completely reshape the baby’s skull, multiple open surgeries are required.

If it comes to your baby’s health, you need to take some important and tough decisions.

You should consider the following steps if you are planning to go to the neurosurgeon to treat your baby’s craniosynostosis:

Choose a team of trusted professional neurosurgeons. They will educate you about the condition, help you to evaluate the best options and provide an effective treatment. The team of highly qualified and experienced neurosurgeons in BLK clinic is currently associated with one of the most popular and reputed hospitals in India. Apart from the treatment of craniosynostosis, professionals at BLK clinic also provides other services such as orthognathic surgery, cleft lip and palate deformity correction, hypertelorism correction surgery etc. get the best treatment of craniosynostosis from BLK clinic located in Pusa Road, Delhi.