What is a craniofacial condition?
Craniofacial disorder is a broad term that describes malformations of the face and skull that may result from birth defect, disease or trauma. In the U.S., approximately 600,000 individuals have been diagnosed with a craniofacial condition, and Children’s National Hospital treats hundreds of patients with these disorders each year.
How many children are diagnosed with craniofacial disorders each year?
In the U.S., approximately 600,000 individuals have been diagnosed with a craniofacial condition, and Children’s National Hospital treats hundreds of patients with these disorders each year. What is cleft palate in children? Cleft palate is a birth abnormality that affects about one in every 2,000 newborns and is more common in boys.
What causes cranial neuropathies?
The causes of cranial neuropathies include poorly controlled diabetes or high blood pressure, head injuries, infections, strokes, and brain tumors. Common symptoms can include weakness or loss of sensation in part of the face, or changes in vision. Some cranial neuropathies go away on their own, but others might be permanent.
What causes facial paralysis in children?
In children, facial paralysis may occur from ear infections, Lyme disease, or trauma to the head or face. Hemifacial Microsomia/Goldenhar Syndrome is a craniofacial disorder in which the lower half of one side of the face does not grow normally.
Is craniofacial a genetic disorder?
Craniofacial microsomia most often occurs in a single individual in a family and is not inherited.
How common is craniofacial deformities?
In the U.S., approximately 600,000 individuals have been diagnosed with a craniofacial condition, and Children's National Hospital treats hundreds of patients with these disorders each year.
What causes craniofacial deformity?
Craniofacial malformations, including craniosynostosis, are the result of an infant's skull or facial bones fusing together too soon or in an abnormal way. When the bones fuse together too early, the brain can become damaged as it grows and cannot expand properly, and the infant may develop neurological problems.
What are craniofacial defects?
Craniofacial anomalies are deformities that affect a child's head and facial bones. These disorders are typically present at birth (congenital) and can range from mild to severe. Common craniofacial anomalies include: cleft lip and palate: a separation in the lip and the palate.
What are the 4 main causes of birth defects?
Researchers think that most birth defects are caused by a complex mix of factors, which can include:Genetics. ... Chromosomal problems. ... Exposures to medicines, chemicals, or other toxic substances. ... Infections during pregnancy. ... Lack of certain nutrients.
What does the word craniofacial mean?
Summary. Craniofacial is a medical term that relates to the bones of the skull and face. Craniofacial abnormalities are birth defects of the face or head. Some, like cleft lip and palate, are among the most common of all birth defects.
What are the most common craniofacial anomalies?
The most common conditions include cleft lip, cleft palate and craniosynostosis syndromes, in which one or more bones of the skull and face fuse prematurely. Craniofacial anomalies may result from a birth defect, injury or tumor, and they vary considerably in the symptoms they cause and their severity.
What is the most common facial malformation?
Cleft lips and cleft palates are the most common congenital facial anomalies. A solitary cleft lip deformity occurs in 1:800 births; a combined cleft lip and palate occurs in 1:1300 births.
What causes flat facial features?
Noonan syndrome is a genetic disorder that prevents normal development in various parts of the body. A person can be affected by Noonan syndrome in a wide variety of ways. These include unusual facial characteristics, short stature, heart defects, other physical problems and possible developmental delays.
Can ultrasound detect facial abnormalities?
A 3D fetal ultrasound can detect facial abnormalities or neural tube defects. Typically, a fetal ultrasound offers reassurance that a baby is growing and developing normally.
What is craniofacial difference?
What is a craniofacial difference (disorder)? A craniofacial difference refers to an anomaly of the face and/or the head. Craniofacial differences can result from abnormal growth patterns of the face or skull, which involves soft tissue and bones. They can be congenital, genetic, spontaneous, and/or acquired.
What is the most common facial malformation?
Cleft lips and cleft palates are the most common congenital facial anomalies. A solitary cleft lip deformity occurs in 1:800 births; a combined cleft lip and palate occurs in 1:1300 births.
What is the most common congenital malformation of the head?
Some of the most common types of CFAs are: Cleft lip or cleft palate. A separation that happens in the lip or the palate (roof of the mouth), or both. Cleft lip and cleft palate are the most common congenital craniofacial anomalies seen at birth.
Can you see facial deformities in ultrasound?
A 3D fetal ultrasound can detect facial abnormalities or neural tube defects. Typically, a fetal ultrasound offers reassurance that a baby is growing and developing normally. If your health care provider wants more details about your baby's health, he or she might recommend additional tests.
Can Crouzon syndrome be cured?
How is it treated? Children with mild Crouzon syndrome may not need to be treated. Those with more severe cases should see craniofacial specialists, doctors who treat disorders of the skull and face. In more severe cases, doctors can perform surgery to open up the sutures and give the brain room to grow.
How to tell if a baby has craniofacial abnormalities?
Most of the time, your physician can identify a craniofacial abnormality by examination alone . Examining your child’s skull, brain and facial structure with an MRI or CT scan can help clarify the diagnosis.
What is the name of the craniofacial abnormality characterized by an abnormal head shape, small upper jaw?
Apert syndrome : A craniofacial abnormality characterized by an abnormal head shape, small upper jaw, and fusion of the fingers and toes. Brachycephaly: A birth defect characterized by the disproportionate shortness of the head. It is caused by a premature fusing of the coronal suture.
What causes brachycephaly?
It is caused by a premature fusing of the coronal suture. Brachycephaly is commonly associated with a number of syndromes, such as Apert, Crouzon, Pfeiffer, Saethre-Chotzen and Carpenter. Crouzon syndrome: A birth defect characterized by abnormalities in the skull and facial bones, caused by a fusing of both sides of the coronal suture.
What is the term for a baby's skull fusing together too soon?
Craniofacial malformations , including craniosynostosis, are the result of an infant’s skull or facial bones fusing together too soon or in an abnormal way. When the bones fuse together too early, the brain can become damaged as it grows and cannot expand properly, and the infant may develop neurological problems.
What is the name of the condition where the top of the skull is pointed?
Oxycephaly: A birth defect characterized by abnormalities in the skull and facial bones. This syndrome causes the top of the skull to be pointed or cone-shaped. It is caused by a premature fusing of the coronal and sagittal sutures. It is also known as turricephaly or high-head syndrome.
What are the abnormalities in the skull?
In the first six to 18 months of life, the sutures close (fuse) and the skull becomes one piece. C raniofacial malformations, including craniosynostosis, are the result of an infant’s skull or facial bones fusing together too soon ...
What is the term for a condition characterized by a protrusion of the brain or its coverings through?
Encephalocele: A condition characterized by a protrusion of the brain or its coverings through the skull.
What is the name of the craniofacial disorder in which sutures in the head are prematurely fused?
Crouzon syndrome is a craniofacial disorder in which sutures in the head are prematurely fused resulting in abnormal growth of the skull and face. Children with Crouzon’s have bulging eyes due to abnormal growth of the midface. They may have a receding upper jaw and protruding lower jaw. They may have problems with teeth due to abnormal jaw growth.
What causes facial paralysis?
Facial paralysis can be a symptom of many conditions, including Bell’s palsy (inflammation of the facial nerves), strokes, brain tumors, brain infections, trauma during birth and others. In children, facial paralysis may occur from ear infections, Lyme disease, or trauma to the head or face.
What is a cleft lip?
Cleft lip and/or palate is a craniofacial disorder that creates a separation of the parts or segments of the lip or roof of the mouth, which are usually joined together during the early weeks in the development of an unborn child .
What is the name of the condition where the lower half of the face does not grow normally?
Hemifacial Microsomia/Goldenhar Syndrome is a craniofacial disorder in which the lower half of one side of the face does not grow normally. The most obvious sign of this condition is a partially formed ear or total absence of an ear. In Goldenhar syndrome benign growths of the eye (epibulbar dermoids) are present.
What is the term for fused bones of the skull?
Craniosynostosis. Craniosynostosis means fused bones of the skull. It is a craniofacial disorder that some children are born with or later develop. To better understand craniosynostosis, it is helpful to know that our skulls are not made up of one single “bowl” of bone.
What is facial cleft?
Facial Cleft is a rare condition in which there are areas of absent bone and sometimes overlying skin that may occur either on one or both sides of the face.
What is the result of the inability to grow in one area?
The inability to grow in one area may lead to overgrowth in another area. This results in an abnormally shaped skull. There are numerous types of craniosynostosis. Different names are given to the various types, depending on which suture, or sutures, are involved.
Why is my skull abnormal?
An abnormal skull shape at birth is not always craniosynostosis and may be related to fetal head position or birth trauma. The difference is that those abnormalities usually self correct, while craniosynostosis worsens if it is left untreated.
Why is my head flattened?
In infants with plagiocephaly, the head may be flattened in the back (the occiput) because the infant lies persistently on the back of the head (often with the head turned primarily to one side). In addition, the ear on that side is often pushed forward, and even the forehead may look a bit prominent compared with the other side. This produces a parallelogram shaped head. Plagiocephaly is not caused by craniosynostosis and usually does not need to be treated surgically. It may be treated with a custom fitted helmet, which helps mold the baby’s head back into a normal position.
What is the rarest form of craniosynostosis?
Lamboidal synostosis is the rarest form of craniosynostosis. Premature closure of this suture leads to a condition called posterior plagiocephaly. This may cause flattening of the back of the head on the affected side, protrusion of the mastoid bone and posterior positioning of the affected ear.
How old do you have to be to have craniosynostosis surgery?
A newer less invasive form of surgery utilizes excision of the affected suture with or without endoscopy, but is only a viable option in specific cases of craniosynostosis. The preferred age for this surgery is 3 months, but the infant should be no older than 6 months, to obtain optimal results.
What causes a baby to have a pointed forehead?
This may cause the baby to have a pointed forehead, midline ridge, triangularly shaped skull and eyes that appear too close together. Sagittal synostosis, the most common type of craniosynostosis, affects three to five infants in every 1,000 live births and is more common in males.
Why does a baby's skull have a curved shape?
Due to this closure, the baby develops an abnormally shaped skull because the bones do not expand normally with the growth of the brain.
What is the frontal part of the head?
The frontal forms the top front of the head, the forehead, the brow ridges and the nasal cavity. The occipital is located at the lower rear of the head and forms the back and base of the skull. This is the point of articulation with the neck.
What is a craniofacial disorder?
Craniofacial disorder is a broad term that describes malformations of the face and skull that may result from birth defect, disease or trauma. In the U.S., approximately 600,000 individuals have been diagnosed with a craniofacial condition, and Children’s National Hospital treats hundreds ...
What is cleft craniofacial?
The Cleft and Craniofacial Program at Children’s National brings together experts from 10 pediatric disciplines to provide complete care for children with craniofacial disorders. Our multidisciplinary pediatric team helps more than 400 children every year.
What is the condition where the tissue on one side of the face is underdeveloped?
Hemifacial microsomia (HFM) is a condition in which the tissue on one side of the face is underdeveloped, affecting primarily the ear, mouth and jaw. Sometimes, both sides of the face can be affected and may involve the skull, as well as the face. HFM is the second most common birth defect after clefts.
What is a cleft palate in a baby?
What is cleft palate in children?#N#Cleft palate is a birth abnormality that affects about one in every 2,000 newborns and is more common in boys. A lesser-discussed but similar condition, cleft lip, affects about one in every 1,000 births. The palate is the inner, underside of the mouth. When the palate is cleft, it is because the roof of the mouth didn't close together properly during gestation. A newborn may have a large gap in the palate, which may affect the ability to nurse and eventually eat and talk. Most babies with a cleft palate or lip are otherwise healthy. They may experience some problems until the cleft is repaired, like feeding difficulties and ear infections.
Why is the palate cleft?
The palate is the inner, underside of the mouth. When the palate is cleft, it is because the roof of the mouth didn't close together properly during gestation. A newborn may have a large gap in the palate, which may affect the ability to nurse and eventually eat and talk.
What does it mean when a child's head looks like a rectangle?
In positional plagiocephaly, the child's head often looks like a rectangle when viewed from above. Repeated pressure to the same area of a newborn's very pliable skull can cause the head to be deformed, sometimes with distinct differences between the right and left side of the face.
What is the term for the joint between the skull and the skull?
Natural sutures are joints between skull bones that hold the skull together, but that also grow as the skull grows. In children with normal development, the sutures eventually fuse together. Craniosynostosis occurs when the sutures fuse too soon before growth is complete.
Why do people with craniofacial hyperhidrosis have anxiety?
Many with craniofacial hyperhidrosis go on to develop anxiety because the face is so integral to social interactions and excessive facial sweating leaves people feeling self conscious about one of their most prominent features .
What is the goal of a craniofacial sweating treatment?
For those with primary hyperhidrosis, the goal is to reduce facial sweating and manage their symptoms via treatment. If a patient has craniofacial sweating caused by secondary hyperhidrosis, then the goal is to eliminate the underlying issue, or to manage symptoms if the causative agent can’t be reversed.
Can craniofacial hyperhidrosis affect your life?
Unfortunately, craniofacial hyperhidrosis can have a negative impact on a person’s quality of life if it’s left untreated. [4] [1] [4] For example, many women are unable to keep makeup on, and sufferers can become very self conscious about their appearance.
What is cranial abnormality?
Craniofacial abnormalities refer to birth defects that affect the face or head. They can impact the facial appearance and range from mild to severe.
What is the procedure to correct craniofacial anomalies?
Surgery may be required to treat a craniofacial anomaly. With surgery, the physical formation of a craniofacial anomaly patient’s skull and facial bones is corrected. Also, surgery may involve removal, reshaping, or replacing parts of the skull.
What is facial cleft?
A facial cleft is a rare craniofacial anomaly that causes a malformation on a portion of the face.
What is a cleft lip?
A cleft lip or palate refers to an opening in the roof of the mouth. It often includes a split in the upper portion of the lip and occurs when the facial structures of an unborn baby fail to fully develop.
Can Moebius syndrome cause speech problems?
Patients dealing with Moebius syndrome may have a small mouth and chin and a short tongue. They may also experience speech problems, due in part to an abnormal opening at the roof of the mouth.
Is craniofacial abnormality treatable?
Craniofacial abnormalities are treatable. At the first sign of a c raniofacial abnormality, a patient should seek medical assistance. This ensures that a patient can receive proper diagnosis and treatment and safely address their craniofacial abnormality.
What is the name of the condition where the skull and face are abnormally growing?
Apert syndrome is a condition involving abnormal growth of the skull and the face due to early fusion of certain sutures of the skull. Learn More
What is the condition of the head and face?
Muenke syndrome is a condition characterized by the premature closure of the coronal suture of the skull (coronal craniosynostosis) during development. This affects the shape of the head and face. Other variable features include abnormalities of the hands or feet, hearing loss, wide-set eyes, flattened cheekbones, and in about 30% of cases, some developmental delays. Muenke syndrome occurs in 1 of 30,000 newborns.. Muenke syndrome is caused by mutations in the FGFR3 gene. It is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. Learn More
What is Coffin Lowry syndrome?
Coffin-Lowry syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by craniofacial (head and facial) and skeletal abnormalities, delayed intellectual development, short stature, and hypotonia.
What is the name of the condition where sutures in the head are prematurely fused resulting in abnormal growth of?
Crouzon syndrome is a condition in which sutures in the head are prematurely fused resulting in abnormal growth of the skull and face. Learn More
What is the name of the condition where sutures in the head fuse?
Crouzon syndrome. Crouzon syndrome is a condition in which sutures in the head are prematurely fused resulting in abnormal growth of the skull and face. Learn More.
What is the condition in which the lower half of one side of the face does not grow normally?
Hemifacial Microsomia/Goldenhar syndrome is a condition in which the lower half of one side of the face does not grow normally. Learn More
What is the name of the condition where more than one suture is fused prematurely causing irregular head growth?
Saethre-Chotzen syndrome is a condition in which more than one suture is fused prematurely causing irregular head growth. Eyelids are droopy while eyes are widespread and appear bulging and may be crossed. The upper jaw may be underdeveloped. The nose may appear “beaked” and the septum may be deviated; that is, the area between the nostrils is off center. Fingers are short and certain fingers may be fused. There may be a low hairline. Read stories from people with Saethre-Chotzen on The Mighty.
What causes cranial neuropathies?
Cranial neuropathy can develop for many different reasons. For example:
What are the different types of cranial neuropathies?
Some of the different types of cranial neuropathies include: Bell's palsy. This condition occurs when the facial nerve (seventh cranial nerve) is affected. Microvascular cranial nerve palsy. This condition affects the nerves in the eye. It is most common in people who have diabetes and in those who have high blood pressure.
How are cranial neuropathies diagnosed?
A healthcare provider will usually do a variety of tests to diagnose neuropathy. Depending on the type of cranial neuropathy your doctor suspects, tests may include:
What causes a 4th nerve to be a cranial nerve?
Diabetes and migraines are other possible causes. Fourth nerve palsy is often a congenital birth defect, which means that a baby is born with it. But a head injury, stroke, or tumor can also cause fourth nerve palsy. The sixth cranial nerve can be damaged by infection, a stroke or tumor, increased pressure in the brain, and even migraines.
What is it called when the brain is affected by a nerve?
When nerves in the brain or brainstem are affected, it is called cranial neuropathy. The cranial nerves are those that arise directly from your brain or brainstem and often affect areas like the face and eyes. Some of the different types of cranial neuropathies include: Bell's palsy. This condition occurs when the facial nerve (seventh cranial ...
Why do children have third nerve palsy?
Children are sometimes born with third nerve palsy. But it may also be caused by a head injury or an infection. A disorder affecting the brain, such as an aneurysm or brain tumor, may also cause third nerve palsy. Diabetes and migraines are other possible causes.
Can neuropathy cause double vision?
It usually only affects one side of the face. Microvascular cranial nerve palsy can cause double vision and other problems with eyesight.
