An Easier Surgery for Babies with Scaphocephaly

From BestHealth Magazine, October 2003

Everyone knows to protect the soft spot—the fontanelle—on a baby’s head. The bones are open at the front of the skull to allow room for baby’s brain to grow. But in one of every 1,500 births, these bones are prematurely closed.

 The only remedy is surgery. Thanks to a plastic surgeon at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, there’s now a minimally invasive procedure available in the United States to correct one type of premature cranial suture fusion, known as scaphocephaly. Dr. Lisa David spent six months in Sweden learning a breakthrough surgical technique developed by Dr. Claes Lauritzen, head of the International Craniofacial Society.

Working with her colleagues, David has performed the procedure on 21 infants at WFBMC—the only U.S. institution now offering the approach. She is also training others to perform this minimally invasive operation.

Where traditional surgery to correct scaphocephaly takes about 4 hours, requires a blood transfusion and a 4-day hospital stay, David’s initial procedure takes an hour and requires only an overnight stay. She inserts metal springs into the baby’s skull in place of the fused bone, then removes them several months later after the head has reshaped properly. Because the incision is tiny, the baby is left with a small scar rather than one that runs from ear to ear, and there is no need for a blood transfusion.

“I am extremely satisfied with the results we are seeing," says David. “I want people to know that this is available. It can mean a much easier treatment—less invasive surgery, less risk, fewer long-term problems and better results.”

About Scaphocephaly 

• Scaphocephaly is the most common type of craniosynostosis, the premature closure of the sagittal suture that runs between the front and back soft spots. If left untreated, it causes a misshapen skull and potential developmental delays. 
• Scaphocephaly is typically diagnosed in the first 1-4 months of life. Babies with the condition have a prominent forehead and a very long, narrow head. 
• In the U.S., a new, minimally invasive surgical procedure to correct scaphocephaly was introduced in 2001 by Dr. Lisa David, a craniofacial surgeon at Wake Forest Baptist. Optimal for babies younger than nine months, the procedure involves a short-term insertion of dynamic springs in place of the fused suture.