Vertex Craniectomy (Therapy)

Figure kran_18b_n.jpg to kran_18d_n.jpg: The vertex craniectomy is an example of a useful procedure in sagittal synostosis. The postoperative lateral skull x-ray in a 9-month-old infant illustrates such an operation: Besides a broad linear craniectomy of the sagittal suture and the adjacent bones, an excision of bone is performed following both coronal sutures, and in addition, an occipital craniectomy including the back of the head up to the external protruberance and the lambdoid sutures, because there is no spontaneous normalization following surgery in the former region. Figure kran_18c_n.jpg: Lateral skull x-ray prior to surgery with a dolichocephaly. Figure kran_18d_n.jpg: Lateral skull x-ray 6 months after surgery with normalization of the shape of the skull and spontaneous reossification of the defects. In contrast to the frontal bossing which is postoperatively spontaneously corrected, the occipital bossing must be removed. Depending on the age of the child (beyond 3 months), the osseous defects are covered with bone chips like a mosaic during the initial surgery.