Contents
Cover image: Sagittal Craniosynostosis | Craniosynostosis - Craniofacial Surgery | Sagittal Synostosis | Coronal Synostosis. (2018). CAPPS. Retrieved 17 June 2018, from https://www.cappskids.org/craniosynostosis/
Premature fusion of one or more sutures, thereby changing the growth pattern of the skull.
- Major sutures: Metopic, coronal, sagittal, and lambdoid
- Minor sutures: Frontonasal, temporosquamosal and frontosphenoidal
Aetiology
- Hydrocephalus
Syndromic craniosynostosis:
- Apert syndrome
- Crouzon syndrome
- Carpenter syndrome
- Pfeiffer syndrome
Pathophysiology
Normal closure:
- During early childhood:
- Metopic suture (beginning at 2 months)
- Sagittal, coronal and lambdoid sutures (22-26 months)
- Frontonasal and frontozygomatic sutures (last, at 68-72 months)
Premature closure
- Restricts the growth of the skull perpendicular to the affected suture
- Compensatory skull growth
- Occurs parallel to the affected suture in order to accommodate the growing brain
- Resulting skull deformities:
- Scaphocephaly
- Plagiocephaly
- Trigonocephaly

- Other skull deformities:
- Cloverleaf skull deformity
- Fusion of multiple sutures
- Associated with hydrocephalus
- Tower skull or acrocephaly
- Combined sagittal, coronal and lambdoid synostosis
- Often as part of Apert or Crouzon syndrome
- Oxycephaly or turricephaly
- Tall cranium resulting from delayed repair of brachycephaly
- Often syndromic
- Cloverleaf skull deformity