Surgery for Craniosynostosis

A defect present at birth, Craniosynostosis is caused by the improper fusing of the skull’s plates. Known as sutures, these fibrous joints can result in a misshapen skull and neurological side effects if the brain is impacted by their malformation. To correct this condition, Dr. Burstein performs craniosynostosis to re-separate the sutures so that they may properly grow back together. Given the neurological implications of this condition’s presence, Dr. Burstein typically performs this procedure on infants before they reach the age of one year. Given the delicate nature of surgery for Craniosynostosis, Dr. Burstein may work with a patient’s pediatric neurosurgeon depending on the type of craniosynostosis present. The most commonly occurring types of synostosis (dictated by which sutures are improperly fused) include the following?


Patient with Metopic Synostosis and trigonocephaly

Coronal Synostosis: Also known as Plagiocephaly, this defect occurs with the fibers of the coronal suture that runs across the skull from ear to ear fuse improperly. This condition is marked by prominence of the brow on one side of the head and eyes of differing shapes.
Scaphocephaly: Defect caused by the improper fusion of the sagittal suture, or fibrous joint that runs the length of the skull, this condition is marked by an elongated skull in which its length is longer that its width.
Trigonocephaly: The improper fusion of the metopic (forehead) suture that causes the forehead to have a triangular appearance and the eyes to be abnormally close together