Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom, and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about craniosynastosis.

If you want to follow along with written notes on this topic, you can follow along at

zero tofinals.com slash craniosynastosis or in the neurology section of the zero definals pediatrics book.

So let's get straight into it.

Craniosynastosis occurs where the skull sutures close prematurely.

This results in abnormal head shapes and restriction to the growth of the brain.

If craniosynastosis is left untreated,

it will lead to raised intracranial pressure with resulting symptoms of developmental delay,

cognitive impairment, vomiting, irritability, visual impairment, neurological symptoms and seizures.

Let's talk about presentation. The main presenting feature is an abnormal

head shape depending on the affected cranial suture. Sagital synestosis affects the sagittal

suture and it causes a long and narrow head from front to back. Coronal synestosis affects the coronal suture and results in a bulging on one side of the forehead.

Metopic synestosis affects the metopic suture, resulting in a pointy triangular forehead.

And lamdoid synestosis affects the lamdoid suture and results in a flattening

on one side of the back of the head or the occibut. It can also present with an anterior

fontanelle closing before one year of age and a small head in proportion to the body.

Let's talk about investigations.

Where there are suspicions about craniosynastosis, the patient should be referred to a specialist for further investigations.

The first line investigation is a skull x-ray.

A CT head with bone views can be used to confirm the diagnosis or exclude it if

there's any doubt on the x-ray. Let's talk about management. Mild cases may be monitored and

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