Craniosynostosis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Skull of a newborn

Craniosynostosis

Definition:

Craniosynostosis is a congenital defect (meaning it is present at birth). One or more sutures, the connections between skull bones, prematurely close during the first year of life, which causes an abnormally shaped skull.

Alternative Names:
Premature closure of sutures
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

text continues below

The cause of craniosynostosis is unknown. In an infant's head, the sutures mark the boundaries between the flat bones that make up the skull. Premature closure of these sutures stops bony growth and results in deformity of the skull. The shape of the deformity is determined by which sutures are involved.

The condition may be hereditary and caused by a genetic defect, or it can occur sporadically in a family with no other affected relatives. The hereditary form often occurs with other defects that can cause seizures, diminished intellectual capacity, and blindness. Most cases, however, are sporadic (non-hereditary) and children with craniosynostosis are otherwise healthy and have normal intelligence.