What is going on?

  
  I'm starting this blog to keep our family and friends updated with Renae's doctor appointments, essentially so I don't have to answer the same questions over and over again.

  As some of you may know Renae had a doctors appointment the other day to look at the point on her forehead. I noticed around two weeks after she was born that her forehead looked pointy. When I mentioned this to her doctor he said this was normal and when her skull fused it would get better. Well, at her two month check up same thing, but this time he mentioned  the name craniosynotosis. He gave me an explanation of what it was and said keep an eye on it. Of course you know I went home and looked up everything I could!! 

   What is Craniosynotosis? 

Craniosynostosis is a birth defect that causes one or more sutures on a baby's head to close earlier than normal.
The skull of an infant or young child is made up of bony plates that allow for growth of the skull. The borders at which these plates intersect are called sutures or suture lines. The sutures between these bony plates normally close by the time the child is 2 or 3 years old.
Early closing of a suture causes the baby to have an abnormally shaped head.

Causes

The cause of craniosynostosis is unknown. Genes may play a role. However, there is usually no family history of the condition.
A form passed down through families (hereditary) can occur with other health problems, such as seizures, decreased intelligence, and blindness. Genetic disorders commonly linked to craniosynostosis include Crouzon, Apert, Carpenter, Chotzen, and Pfeiffer syndromes.
However, most children with craniosynostosis are otherwise healthy and have normal intelligence.

Symptoms

Symptoms depend on the type of craniosynostosis. They may include:
No "soft spot" (fontanelle) on the newborn's skull
A raised hard ridge along the affected sutures
Unusual head shape
Slow or no increase in the head size over time as the baby grows
Types of craniosynostosis:
Sagittal synostosis (scaphocephaly) is the most common type. It affects the main suture on the very top of the head. The early closing forces the head to grow long and narrow, instead of wide. Babies with this type tend to have a broad forehead. It is more common in boys than girls. 
Frontal plagiocephaly is the next most common type. It affects the suture that runs from ear to ear on the top of the head. It is more common in girls.
Metopic synostosis is a rare form that affects the suture close to the forehead. The child's head shape may be described as trigonocephaly. It may range from mild to severe. 

Treatment

Surgery is done while the baby is still an infant. The goals of surgery are:
Relieve any pressure on the brain
Make sure there is enough room in the skull to allow the brain to properly grow
Improve the appearance of the child's head

References

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001590.htm




 Now that brings us to her four month appointment.  Once the doctor came in he asked how things were, I told him I thought Renae's forehead was getting worse. He took a look at her and agreed with me. He recommended that we take her to see a plastic surgeon to see if this was effecting her brain or not.

  Bobby called and made the appointment right away. Due to a cancellation we were able to take her the next week.   Once we got there they measured every part of her head, every which way. He then continued to tell us, that yes she does have craniosynostosis. More specifically Trigonocephaly Metopic Craniosynostosis. He said Renae was born with this. There are a few reasons this could happen. But there was nothing that I could of done to prevent it.

 What is trigonocephaly metopic craniosynostosis: 

Metopic synostosis is a rare form that affects the suture close to the forehead. The child's head shape may be described as trigonocephaly. It may range from mild to severe. 



   Her doctor sat there with us for almost 2 hours explaining this and what we were going to have to do. He explained that the best time to do surgery was between the ages of 8-10 months. So this January or February little Renae will be having surgery on her skull. Due to skull being already closed it is causing it to grow weird and could be putting pressure on her little brain, which down the road can cause all kinds of brain issues along with hearing, breathing and seeing. 

  Now an explanation of the surgery. He said that what they will do is start giving her shots that will help increase her blood so that when they do the surgery hopefully they will not have to do a blood transfusion. The reason being is that 90% patients receiving this surgery do need a transfusion. Once it comes time Renae will be in surgery for up to six hours( Not all of that is surgery. There is prep time and recovery before they let us see her.)

  From my understanding they will put her hair in little pig tails all over so they don't have to cut any of her hair, which is very nice. They will make a squiggly incision also so that her hair part will not grow funny. The neurosurgeon will then cut pieces of Renae's skull so that the plastic surgeon can re-piece them how he wants. They use stitches and little plastic plates that will dissolve. She will be in the hospital for three to five days. They said hour 36 is the worse. Her little eyes will be swelled shut. They will be swelled shut for three- five days, however at this age her nerve endings are not as sensitive as ours so they feel less pain. They will send her home on Tylenol and stronger if she needs it. 

  There are a lot more details but I'm tired of typing today. I will give more details as they come. 

We meet with the neurosurgeon today. So I will post in a few days how that goes.

Thanks everyone for reading. 

References

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001590.htm