Craniosynostosis

BACKGROUND

  • a manifestation of Virchow's Law: if sutures close early, skull cannot grow perpindicular to suture, instead grows parallel.
  • prevalence of non-syndrome type: 1/2100
    • sagittal 40-60%
    • coronal 20-30%
    • metopic: < 20%
    • lamboid: extremely rare
Review of sutures
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Craniosynostosis Types

Suture Fused
Head Shape
Head shape
Coronal (uni)
Anterior synsototic plagiocephaly
Coronal (bi)
Bracycephaly
Lamboid
posterior synostotic plagiocephaly
trapezoid:
also look for: (1) ipsilateral occipital flattening (2) ipsilateral posterior/inferior ear displacement (3) ipsilateral mastoid prominence (4) ipsilateral frontal flattening (5) contralateral frontal bossing
None
Positional plagiocephaly (not actually craniosynostosis)
parallelogram
Squamosal suture
none


CONSULT

 

HPI

  • do mom and dad have larger heads than normal?

PHYSICAL EXAM
Fontanelles
OFCs

IMAGING

 

A/P
  • Monitor OFCs
  • Delayed surgery if needed at 6-12 months

Images

Lamboid synostosis
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Posterior Trigonocephaly (Mercedes sign)

premature closure of sagittal and proximal bilateral lambdoid sutures
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Syndromes

Chiari is a common co-occurring condition in syndromic craniosynostoses
Mutations <--> Syndromes
Gene Mutation
Syndrome(s)
FGFR1
FGFR2
FGFR3
Muenke syndrome, Crouzon
TWIST
Saethre-Chotzen syndrome
RAB23
Carpenter syndrome
 
Pfeiffer Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment

Syndromes

Apert
Pfeiffer
Crouzon
Midface hypoplasia
YES
YES
YES
Syndactyly
YES
YES
RARE
Unique sx
Broad thumbs, medial deviation
acanthosis nigricants
Hydro/DD
Majority
~1/3
(most likely normal intelligence)
Digital Fusion anomoalies
YES
NO
Inheritance
AD
AD
Mutation
FGFR2
FGFR
Craniosynostosis
classically bicoronal
Mandibular prognathism
 
Pfeiffer
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Muenke Syndrome

  • FGFR3 mutations

Saethre-Chotzen syndrome

  • caused by TWIST mutations

Carpenter Syndrome

  • RAB23 mutations

Cloverleaf Skull (Kleeblattschadel deformity)

  • etiology: pansynostosis → severe restriction of calvarial growth and intracranial hypertension in neonatal period
  • Management: rapid decompression
  • Even survivors, disability is high
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Board Pearls

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