Cleft and Craniofacial Team of New Orleans

Coronal suture - joints of the skull bone that run up and over the top of the skull, made up of a right coronal and a left coronal suture

Craniosynostosis - premature fusion of the bones of the skull (sometimes called synostosis or craniostenosis)

3D CT scan of head - detailed X-ray scan that shows the bones and sutures of the skull

Endoscopic synostosis release - surgical procedure which uses instruments with cameras and tools working through small incisions to release fused skull bones

Lambdoid suture - joints of skull bone that extend outward down the back of the skull, made up of a right lambdoid and a left lambdoid suture

Metopic suture - joint of the skull bone that runs down the forehead from the baby's soft spot to the bridge of the nose

"Open" cranial vault remodeling - surgical procedure which uses a long incision across the scalp in order to expose the skull to work on the fused or misshapen bones of the skull

Plagiocephaly - general term used to describe asymmetrical skull shape, which can be due to positioning or craniosynostosis of a coronal or lambdoid suture

Positional Plagiocephaly - asymmetrical skull shape caused by head of baby continually resting in the same position, and NOT by craniosynostosis

Post-operative helmet therapy - treatment with a custom fabricated helmet used after endoscopic surgery to guide the growth of the skull, essential for successful result

Sagittal suture - joint of the skull bone that runs down the center of the skull from baby's soft spot to the back of the head

Scaphocephaly - term used to describe head shape that is long and narrow that is caused by sagittal synostosis

Suture - name for the fibrous space between the skull bones that allow the skull bones to grow the head bigger as the baby grows; these are named the coronal, metopic, sagittal and lambdoid sutures

Torticollis - abnormal tightness of the neck muscles that can cause the head to always prefer turning to one side. This is a common cause of positional plagiocephaly.

Trigonencephaly - term used to describe head shape characterized by pointed appearance of forehead (triangular shape when viewed from above) that is caused by metopic synostosis