Craniosynostosis And Newborns: Baby With Oblong Head Diagnosed With Rare Birth Defect

Sometimes a baby's head might be molded unevenly when passing through the birth canal. In other cases, head shape changes following birth may come as a result of pressure on the back of the head while the baby is resting on his or her back. Two soft areas are included at the baby's head where the skull bones join, called the fontanels, which allow a baby's relatively large head to go through a constrictive birth canal and accommodate his or her rapidly growing brain during infancy.

Rest-assured, any positional molding is generally something that will disappear with age. For instance, flat spots found on the back of the head will not result in brain damage or interfere with growth or development. Yet sometimes, uneven shaping can be the result of a more serious health issue, including a possibly dangerous condition known as craniosynostosis.

This was the case for 2-month-old Matthew, born to Megan Boler of Texas. Like any other baby, Matthew seemed bubbly, bright-eyed and energetic. The only thing was that his head was rather oblong and more narrow towards the top, according to the Texas Children's Blog. 

"We definitely thought it looked a little unusual. We thought maybe he has an unusual-shaped head," said Boler, via ABC News. "We didn't think about any of the ramifications."

It was during his 2-month checkup that the pediatrician couldn't find Matthew's soft spot on his head, warning her that he might have a serious medical condition that would require prompt care.

"Don't take this lightly, I want to refer you to the neurosurgeons at Texas Children's Hospital," Boler remembered her pediatrician saying.

At Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, doctors discovered that Matthew had a type of craniosynostosis called sagittal synostosis, meaning that the skull has fused on the top (sagittal suture) of the head too early; this can prevent the brain from growing, resulting in developmental issues. Furthermore, up to 10 percent of children with the condition who aren't diagnosed until later end up with high intracrinal pressure in the brain and in the skull. Fortunately, discovering the problem early on helped doctor's properly address it with surgery and smaller cuts to help the skull reform post-op.

"The skull is very, very thin, we're able to use different types of instruments and use endoscope to see everything," said Dr. Sandi Lam, Director of Craniofacial Surgery Program at Texas Children's Hospital. "Because of all of this growth that is happening the brain really helps make the baby's new head shape. It rounds everything out from inside out and helps guide how everything heals up."

Following surgery, Matthew was required to wear a special helmet for four months. Now he's totally back to his normal self.

The types of craniosynostosis depend on what sutures fuse together early. To learn more about coronal synostosis, lambdoid synostosis and metopic synostosis, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s website. A diagram provided by the CDC regarding sagittal synostosis is provided below. One in 2,000 babies are esimated to be affected by the health issue.