Craniosynostosis Treatments
The University Health Center for Endoscopic and Open Craniosynostosis Surgery is nationally known for innovative pediatric craniosynostosis treatments. Feel confident our surgeons can provide the most sophisticated surgical procedures for single- and multiple-suture craniosynostosis and associated syndromes.
Early Diagnosis & Treatment
Your child’s craniosynostosis condition is unique. The type of surgery needed depends on the suture (joint in the skull) involved and your infant’s age.
When your baby gets an early diagnosis of craniosynostosis, you’ll have more treatment options that are less invasive. That means you can delay or even avoid traditional open surgery.
Patient Specific Surgical Planning
We will use advanced 3D image scanning of your baby’s head to confirm the diagnosis and plan for surgery. We use these detailed images in our surgical planning process. This allows us to create a computer-simulated, customized surgical procedure for your child’s craniosynostosis. VSP can help ensure a shorter surgery and recovery time.
Some patients require treatment for craniosynostosis in combination with other medical conditions. This video features a young girl we treated with Apert syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by skeletal abnormalities in addition to a number of other symptoms and features.
Craniosynostosis Surgeries
Treatment for craniosynostosis usually involves minimally invasive or open surgery to:
- Correct craniosynostosis
- Relieve pressure on the brain
- Allow the brain and skull to grow properly
Count on our skilled surgical team to keep your infant or child comfortable and safe before, during and after surgery.
Traditional Open Surgery
Your surgeon may recommend open surgery depending on your child’s condition and age.
Cranial Vault Reconstruction
Your surgeon will remove and precisely reshape fused skull bones in one surgery to allow your child’s brain to grow and develop a more natural skull shape.
No helmet therapy is needed afterward. Your baby will recover in the hospital for three to five days.
Fronto Orbital Advancement
This surgery removes skull bone and orbital bone to create room inside the skull for brain growth. It also reshapes the bones above the eyes and behind the forehead.
Your infant will recover in the hospital for four to five days.
Minimally Invasive Craniosynostosis Procedures
- Strip Craniectomy: Removes a piece of the skull bone with the fused suture but does not change the skull shape.
- Cranial Distraction: Expands part of the back of the skull and puts in a medical device to allow the skull to increase in size. Also called posterior vault distraction.
- Cranial Vault Reconstruction: Removes pieces of the skull near fused sutures, then reshapes and expands skull bones.
- Craniosynostosis Repair: Removes the prematurely closed suture.
