Craniosynostosis Surgery and Treatment

If your child has a challenge with skull development called craniosynostosis, our specialists can help.

Our craniofacial surgeons work alongside our neurosurgeons to help children from across North Texas, surrounding regions and even the world. Together, our specialists create safe, effective treatment plans that help improve your child's appearance and help them live more confidently.

You probably have lots of questions if your child has a craniosynostosis diagnosis. We can help. If you would like to schedule an appointment or speak to our staff, please call us at 682-885-7770.

What is craniosynostosis?

Craniosynostosis is a condition that can affect babies - specifically the gaps between the bones that make up their skulls. These gaps, or sutures, close slowly over time, allowing the brain and skull to grow. With craniosynostosis, some of the bones grow together too soon. The brain then doesn't have the room it needs to grow, and the skull's shape can change.

There are several types of craniosynostosis. The form your child has depends on the sutures involved. At Cook Children's, we provide skilled and complete care for all kinds of craniosynostosis and the rare syndromes associated with it.

Learn more about , including its symptoms and how it's diagnosed.

Choosing Cook Children's for craniosynostosis treatment

In our medical center, your child has a team of pediatric experts on their side. Our craniofacial surgeons take the lead. They work closely with doctors in other specialties, including pediatric neurosurgeons, to coordinate your child's care and address their needs.

The close partnerships among our surgeons make operations safer - experts in both the brain and skull can handle challenges together. Their teamwork also makes it possible for us to do difficult procedures safely.

We offer:

Experienced and board certified craniofacial surgeons and neurosurgeons with fellowship training, the highest level of training (meet our Pediatric Plastic Surgery team
Latest, most effective surgical techniques
Virtual surgical planning with 3D replicas of your child's skull for safer, shorter surgeries and better cosmetic results
24/7 monitoring after surgery in our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Comprehensive care for your child's social and emotional needs in our Child Life program

Treatment for craniosynostosis

Craniosynostosis treatment is different for every child. Our team partners with you to create your child's individualized treatment plan.

Our specialists take the time to get to know your family, listen to your concerns and become experts in your child's unique characteristics. To us, success is much more than a good surgical outcome. How you and your child feel during your time with us matters just as much.

We offer both open surgery and minimally invasive surgery for craniosynostosis, with either option providing effective treatment.

The goals of these surgeries are to:

Give the brain room to grow normally
Relieve pressure inside the skull
Give the skull a more typical shape
Protect the eyes and airway

Minimally invasive surgery: Endoscopic-assisted craniectomy

Endoscopic-assisted craniectomy is only effective for children younger than 4 months. At that age, their skulls respond more easily to treatment. Even then, we may recommend open surgery for some types of craniosynostosis. We may also recommend open surgery if you live far away, as a minimally invasive approach requires more follow-up visits.

Compared to open surgery, endoscopic-assisted craniectomy often has:

Smaller incisions
Less blood loss
Less time under anesthesia
Shorter medical center stay (one night versus several days)

During the procedure, our surgeons remove the closed suture using an endoscope (thin tube with a light and special tools). Babies then wear a cranial helmet to mold their heads into the correct shape as they grow.

Open surgery: Cranial vault remodeling

Our craniofacial surgeons typically perform cranial vault remodeling on children between 6 months and 1 year old. During the procedure, they reshape the skull. They do so to provide more room for the growing brain and to achieve a more typical head shape.

Benefits of the open technique include:

Surgeons can perform the surgery on older children, unlike minimally invasive craniosynostosis surgery.
Children don't have to wear a corrective helmet after surgery.
It's more customizable than endoscopic craniosynostosis surgery.
It's better than endoscopic craniectomy for more challenging cases.
Results are more predictable.

Cranial vault distraction

Cranial vault distraction is another type of open surgery we occasionally recommend. It gradually moves the skull bones apart.

To start, our craniofacial surgeon plans the future movements of the bones. They place a special device called a cranial distractor on the skull. The device gradually moves the skull bones apart over three months. Our team gives the bones time to heal and then removes the device with a second surgery.

Cranial vault distraction may benefit certain children. These children are born with craniosynostosis of more than one suture or have a genetic syndrome associated with the condition. These syndromes include:

Apert syndrome
Crouzon syndrome
Pfeiffer syndrome
Saethre-Chotzen syndrome

The skull and facial bones of children with syndromic craniosynostosis don't grow as they should. This challenge means they often need more skull and facial corrections after their first surgery.