Ok. I finally found some of the paper work and here's what I have.

First I want to remind that I was born on February 3rd, 1983. I have X-ray results from April 4, 1983. Here is the information it contains:

The skull has a tendency to be rather dolichocephalic(1), however, the sutures(2) are still open. The sagittal suture is less wide than the coronal.

I have another X-ray resault from September 15, 1983:

The skull is somewhat scaphocephalic(3) in configuration and the sagittal suture is almost completely obliterated. The coronal and lambdoid sutures remain open with the coronal sutures also possibly showing some early closing.

These features are considerably aggravated over that of 4 april 1983

Opinion: Probable sagittal craniostenosia(4) causing retarded brain growth.

1 - Dolichocephalic - Having a relatively long head with a cephalic index below 75. The index is obtained by dividing the maximum width of the cranium by its maximum length and multiplying by 100. In anthropometry, the cephalic index has been the favored measurement. A cephalic index of 80 or more is called brachycephalic or broad; a measurement between 75 and 80 is mesaticephalic; below 75 is considered dolicocephalic or long. The cranial index is the same ratio taken on a skull.

2 - Suture - Where the cranial bones meet is called a suture. The coronal suture separates the frontal bone from the parietal bones. The sagittal suture separates the two parietal bones from each other. The lambdoid suture separates the parietals from the occiput. The squamous suture separates the temporal bone from the parietals. There are varying kinds of sutures. Some sutures, or "joints" interdigitate, like lacing your fingers, other sutures have sliding plates, and others butt up against each other like this. Contrary to popular belief, the sutures are not completely fused, but actually have the ability to allow very slight movement, about 1 tenth of a millimeter. Sutures operate similarly to the way vertebral discs work in the spine. They allow for compression and tension release so that if you suffer a strong blow to the head, the suture will accommodate that blow and lesson the likelihood of severe injury. Sutures also allow micro-movements in response to inter-cranial pressure.

Here is a picture showing where the sutures are located in the cranium:

3 -Scaphocephalic - congenital deformity of the skull in which the vault is narrow, elongated, and boat shaped because of premature assification of the saggital suture.

4 - Craniosynostosia - premature closure of one or more cranial sutures, starting almost always before birth. The prevalence is 1/2000 livebirths. The vast majority (85%) of craniosynostoses are isolated (non syndromic) and are classified on which suture is involved. In craniosynostotic syndromes (15%), classification is defined phenotypically, based on facial and limb anomalies. The proportion of familial cases is important in syndromic forms (40%) and the syndrome is usually transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait. The main sign of craniosynostosis is a skull deformity which involved also the face in syndromic forms. This deformity allows early diagnosis, in the neonatal period, in the vast majority of cases. Later, an increased intracranial pressure can occur, due to a growth conflict between brain and skull, and can lead to blindness and mental delay. The frequency of increased intracranial pressure varies according to the type of craniosynostosis and increases with age. The treatment is based on surgical skull decompression and craniofacial reconstruction. The management of craniosynostoses needs multidisciplinary craniofacial teams with well trained neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons and pediatric anesthesiologists. The results are better after early treatment.

* author : E. Lajeunie M.D. (Novermber 2002) *

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