This article will deal with scaphocephaly, a rather rare developmental pathology that occurs in one child from 2000. A large percentage of children born with such a disorder are boys.
Scaphocephaly -( scaphocephaly, from the Greek "skull in the form of a rook") is a process of premature overgrowing of one or more seams of the skull. Pathology is one of the subspecies of craniostenosis, a disease characterized by abnormal shaping of the skull.
Sutures should fuse as the child grows, bone elements are joined at birth by fibrous tissue, and as the brain increases in the process of growth, the skull expands proportionally. Gradually the tissue overgrows, forming a seam.
With scaphocephaly, overgrowth occurs earlier than the required time and the skull deforms, causing the child's head to acquire a strange shape, anomalously narrow and long.
What options exist for
Often the anomaly is seen already in infancy. The skull is elongated in the anteroposterior direction, with a marked depression of the temples and
overhanging the frontal and occipital zones of the head. The face of the patient has a narrow and oval shape. As the child grows, the shape of the skull does not change, and by the age of 5-6 years the maxillofacial zone of the skull is formed definitively. Parameters of the head circumference exceed the age norms, and the brain can not develop fully.
Scaphocephaly is of two kinds:
- in the first case there is a significant bulging in the frontal part of the skull;
- second option, when the forehead remains almost normal, and in the occipital part there is a significant bulging.
The alleged causes of
Medicine does not give an unambiguous answer to the question, for what reason is such a violation as craniostenosis and in particular scaphocephaly.
This disease is little studied by science and one can only talk about the alleged factors of its occurrence. To the probable reasons it is possible to carry:
- intrauterine, hormonal and hereditary disorders;
- defects in the genes of growth factor receptors;
- mechanical factor of squeezing the fetal head with the walls of the uterus.
The most common theory is about genetic defects.
Diagnosis of
The specialist can identify signs of scaphocephaly already at the first examination of the child. With the development of pathology, the skull has a nonstandard, elongated shape with an obvious deformation of the facial skeleton.
For the confirmation of the initial diagnosis, the methods of the study are prescribed:
- radiography;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- computed tomography.
Studies can determine the extent of the disorder and establish seams affected by pathological changes.
There is a way out - operation
With such a violation as scaphocephaly, most often there is a need for an operative intervention.
The essence of the operation is the separation of seams that have grown together and restore the normal shape of the skull. In the postoperative period, a special helmet must be worn. Scars from the operation are almost invisible and completely hidden after hair regrowth.
In addition, the child after the operation is required to undergo a course of treatment at the dentist and physiotherapy procedures.
In most cases, one surgical intervention is sufficient to completely eliminate the defect and ensure normal growth and formation of the skull.
Depending on the patient's condition, control examinations at the neurosurgeon are prescribed 3-6 months after the operation. It is also possible to involve other specialists, if the neurosurgeon sees this as a necessity.
Photos of children diagnosed with scaphocephaly before and after surgery:
An alternative to surgery is endoscopy. This method is used as a gentle method, which reduces the degree of damage to the skull. But endoscopy can be done only when the child has not reached the age of six months.
Forecast and recovery of
In cases when scaphocephaly is detected in a timely manner and competent treatment is carried out, one can speak of a favorable prognosis.
Defects of the structure of the skull are eliminated by an operative or alternative route, which allows the child to develop normally.
In the absence of treatment in patients, there are various violations, both intellectual and physiological. For example, vision can be significantly reduced or blindness occurs.
For this reason, if the child has visual abnormalities in the development of the shape of the skull, its occipital, frontal or facial area, immediately seek help from specialists.
