How can you tell a baby has craniosynostosis?

Craniosyostosis: The prematurely fused sutures will not allow the skull to grow symetrically in response to brain growth. This results in growth across sutres that are not fused, resulting in a asymetrical skull. This must be differentiated from plagiocephaly seen in babies who spend too much time in one position allowing gravity to distort head shape.

Physical findings: A baby with normal, even appearing head growth will not have the disorder. Those with a ridge like feel where the skull plates come together or those with abnormal head shape may both have the problem.Experienced surgeons at the Dallas Craniofacial Center rely on their exam, some docs use a CT scan to pick this up.

Craniosynostosis: craniosynostosis is a premature closure of a suture, an area where bones of the skull come together. Typical there is asymmetry of the head with ridging over the suture that has prematurely closed. A consultation with a pediatric neurosurgeon could be very helpful in making the diagnosis