children s health issues
Craniosynostosis
Introduction
Craniosynostosis is a birth defect in which one or more of the skull's sutures close too early. Birth defects, also called congenital anomalies, are physical abnormalities that occur before a baby is born. "Congenital" means "present at birth." (See also Introduction to Birth Defects of the Face, Bones, Joints, and Muscles .) The sutures are bands of tissue that connect the bones of the skull. The sutures allow the skull to grow as the brain grows inside. Thesuturesare bands of tissue that connect the different bones that make up the skull. The skull is not a single bone. The sutures allow the skull to grow as the brain grows inside. They remain flexible for several years after birth and close and harden as the baby grows. After the sutures close, the skull cannot grow any more. Craniosynostosis results when these sutures close too early, which restricts the ability of the brain and skull to grow to a normal shape and size. Craniosynostosis may occur spontaneously or may be caused by mutations in the baby's genes. This defect occurs in 1 in every 2,500 babies. There are several types of craniosynostosis, depending on which suture is closed. (the suture on top of the head running from the baby's fontanelle or soft spot to the back of the head) is the most common. This type of craniosynostosis results in a narrow and long skull (dolichocephaly). About half of children who have this type of craniosynostosis develop Learning Disorders . Craniosynostosis of the coronal sutures(the sutures running across the head to the left and right of the soft spot) is the next most common. This type of craniosynostosis results in a short and broad skull if the sutures onbothsides of the soft spot are closed (brachycephaly) or in a diagonal skull if the sutures on onlyoneside of the soft spot are closed (plagiocephaly). Children who have this type of craniosynostosis often have other defects of the face and skull. 