Neurosurgeons at the Children’s Medical Center performed a unique surgical intervention for a one-year-old girl from Rivne region who suffered from a rare syndrome – craniosynostosis.
This is reported by Rivne24
This syndrome occurs when one or more sutures of the skull fuse prematurely, hindering the proper formation of the skull. The only way to allow the child to grow and develop normally is through skull correction surgery.
“The girl was diagnosed with a rare syndrome characterized by bilateral fusion of the coronal suture and pronounced dysmorphic facial features. There are several options for neurosurgical intervention for treating such patients. In Emilia’s case, we applied the distraction technique for the first time,” noted Mykhailo Lovha, head of the Pediatric Neurosurgery, Epilepsy Surgery, and Neurophysiology Clinic.
According to the specialist, the basis of the technique involves separating the fused sutures and modeling the skull bones using special distractors. These metal elements, which are inserted into the skull along the incision line, stretch it, creating space for brain growth. The treatment occurs in several stages: installation of the device, a stretching period, and subsequent removal of the distractors.
Craniosynostosis, in the opinion of doctors, restricts brain growth and can cause serious skull deformities. Without timely treatment, there is a high risk of severe complications: increased intracranial pressure, neurological disorders, and developmental delays.
The distractors used to increase the volume of the skull were worn by Emilia for a month. Recently, neurosurgeons completed the treatment of craniosynostosis by removing the device. After a short recovery period, the medical team plans to conduct another intervention to correct the girl’s facial features.
The family waited two months for the distractors, as they were custom-made in Germany. These expensive elements were purchased with the support of the charity fund “Treasure of Hope” and its leader, Mariyana Reva, who care for young patients from the Rivne region.
At the moment, Emilia is one year and three months old. After the treatment, she has every chance to grow and develop without limitations.