Flashcards on Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis: Diagnosis and Treatment
Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis: Diagnosis & Treatment
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Syndromic craniosynostosis management
92 cards
Card 1
Question: What initial medical priorities should be addressed in infants with syndromic craniosynostosis before considering surgery?
Answer: Assess and manage airway compromise (evaluate with polysomnography if suspected) and avoid raised intracranial pressure; provide medical management (e
Card 2
Question: Why is polysomnography indicated in infants with syndromic craniosynostosis?
Answer: To evaluate suspected airway compromise and characterize sleep-disordered breathing (distinguish obstructive from central sleep apnea).
Card 3
Question: Which type of sleep apnea is more common in early infancy with syndromic craniosynostosis, and what is a common cause?
Answer: Obstructive sleep apnea is far more likely in early infancy, commonly due to midface hypoplasia reducing the nasal airway.
Card 4
Question: What conservative treatments are used for obstructive sleep apnea in these children?
Answer: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) masks and tonsillectomy; consider frontofacial advancement rarely and with little supporting evidence.
Card 5
Question: When should temporary tracheostomy be considered for a child with syndromic craniosynostosis?
Answer: Consider in infants and young children who have failed conservative therapies for airway compromise; tracheostomy has been linked to lower mortality i
Card 6
Question: What feeding issues are common and why should feeding evaluations be done?
Answer: Feeding problems often accompany airway obstruction and neuromuscular immaturity, which can cause silent aspiration; feeding evaluations help detect a
Card 7
Question: What other airway abnormalities (besides midface hypoplasia) can cause obstruction in syndromic craniosynostosis?
Answer: Tracheomalacia, tracheal stenosis (especially in type II Pfeiffer syndrome), and gastroesophageal reflux.
Card 8
Question: How should gastroesophageal reflux be managed in syndromic infants?
Answer: Antireflux medication should be considered for all syndromic infants.
Card 9
Question: What screening is recommended for all children with syndromic craniosynostosis to detect potential Chiari malformations?
Answer: Routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to screen for cerebellar tonsillar herniation (Chiari malformation).
Card 10
Question: Why is it important to detect Chiari malformations in these patients?
Answer: Because symptomatic Chiari can cause central sleep apnea, disordered swallowing, syringomyelia, and potentially fatal central apnea.