Craniosynostosis: The Fused Skull Joint
Knowing craniosynostosis and about your child's skull
Your baby's skull has joints (skull sutures) to help allow the brain to expand. Each of the skull joints has a specific name.
How the skull and brain grow
By the time it is your baby's first birthday, your baby's head will have grown three times the size from when your baby was born.
After the first birthday the skull continues to grow, but each year slower and slower. By the time your child enters elementary school, most of the skull expansion is done. It is important to remember that most brain and skull growth is the first year. So if a skull joint is fused, the skull does not allow the brain to grow normally.
The Different Head Shapes from a Fused Skull Joint
When one or more of the skull joints is fused, then the skull can not grow normally and this may affect the brain development. This condition is called craniosynostosis. These are some of the ways the skull is affected.
