Outcomes for Syndromic Craniosynostosis in Children

Outcome After Surgery

It is an old saying in craniofacial surgery that if one starts off with a good-looking child, one will end up with an even better-looking one. In most craniofacial centers, children are followed up well into their teens and early adulthood.

• Many syndromes associated with low IQ: Early craniofacial intervention does not prevent mental retardation, and studies of children who underwent craniofacial surgery during infancy to correct craniosynostosis still show a significant percentage of patients with IQs < 70, dependent upon the syndrome.
• Varies with syndrome: Patients with syndromic craniosynostosis are a large and heterogeneous group. Although outcome classification is difficult in craniofacial surgery, these long-term follow-ups have shown that aesthetic outcome and development depend on the syndrome involved.
• Crouzon syndrome outcome good: Children with Crouzon syndrome have the highest potential for normal development and a good aesthetic result, the latter depending on the severity of the gene penetrance (20).
• Apert syndrome requires multiple surgeries: Children with Apert syndrome have a poorer overall intelligence level and often need several operations to improve facial features (54).