Surgeries

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Your child will be properly assessed before surgery by a paediatric neuro anaesthetist. An eye check will also be performed. Your child will be admitted on the previous day of surgery. Some blood tests, cardiac checks and investigations will be done. 

The Endoscopic Strip Craniectomy surgery is done the next morning and takes 1-2 hours and is done under general anaesthesia. Because it involves just a small cut in the scalp, there are no major scars, no major blood loss. Your child will stay in the ICU for a few hours and will be shifted back to the ward. Your child may require blood transfusion occasionally. The pain will be controlled very well in the ICU by our critical care specialists. 

The child can have some swelling and a few episodes of fever. We encourage normal feeding during the recovery period. You can expect to be discharged from the hospital after removal of the head dressing on the next day or the day after usually. You will be able to give normal head shower to the baby after that.

After a post operative check at 1 week, Helmet therapy is usually commenced by our Orthotic partners (KARE Orthotics & Prosthetics). This will continue for 1-1.5 years until a normal head shape is achieved. We might have to change the helmet once or twice depending upon the progress. You will need to visit the Orthotist every 3 weeks for Helmet adjustments. You will meet the Craniofacial surgeon and Neurosurgeon at regular intervals for monitoring. 

After the cessation of Helmet Therapy, annual follow up is required until adulthood.

We have had reasonable success covering Craniosynostosis surgery under insurance, especially Corporate insurances. Rarely even helmet therapy has been covered by insurance. Our concierge services team will work extremely hard to negotiate insurance coverage for these services, but this cannot be guaranteed every time.

After a pre operative assessment by a Paediatric Neuroanaesthetist and ophthalmologist, your child will be admitted on the previous day of surgery. Some blood tests, cardiac checks and investigations will be done. 

The surgery is done the next morning under general anaesthesia and usually takes 4-5 hours. Your child might have a lot of tubes connected for monitoring like central line and arterial line. Almost all the children need a blood transfusion during or after the surgery. There will be a cut made from one ear to the other to gain access to the skull. The Neurosurgeon protects the brain, while the Craniofacial surgeon does reshaping of the forehead bones and other bones. Bones are usually fixed with Resorbable plates & screws. Rarely, SS wires and sutures also may be used. The wound will be closed with absorbable stitches. There will be a head bandage. Your child will spend the first night in the ICU and subsequently be shifted to the ward. 

You will notice significant swelling of the head and face and the eyes may close over for 3-4 days. The swelling gradually reduces over the week. The child can also have a few spikes of fever in the first few days. Your child will be discharged usually on the 5th or the 6th day of surgery after removal of head bandage. You will be able to give head shower to the baby after that.

You will have follow up visits with the Craniofacial surgeon and Neurosurgeon periodically. This is usually a one time procedure, and if there is no associated syndrome, that’s all your child will ever need. There is no need for Helmet therapy after open remodelling procedure. You will notice some gaps in the skull which will close over in 2-3 years time. The scar also is usually well hidden in the hair. Annual follow up is required until adulthood.

We have had reasonable success covering Craniosynostosis surgery under insurance, especially Corporate insurances. Our concierge services team will work extremely hard to negotiate insurance coverage for these services, but this cannot be guaranteed every time.

This is a major surgery and you need to be well informed about all complications. 

Infection, bleeding, scar, swelling and pain are common complications that can happen. All these can be managed by our well trained team easily. 

Minor tears in the covering of the brain (Dura) is sometimes seen which is usually repaired during the surgery. Very rarely there might be injury to the eye or the brain. Death is also a remote theoretical possibility, but we have never seen one in our practice.

Endoscopic surgery has lesser chances of all the above complications when compared to Open surgery and this has been proved in the scientific studies.

We perform both techniques.

We have a set protocol for our Single-suture Craniosynostosis babies:

Age below 6 months - Endoscopic Strip Craniectomy & Helmet Therapy

Age above 6 months - Open procedures

Scientific data (including our own data) have repeatedly proven that Endoscopic surgery is a smaller operation, safer operation, requiring shorter hospital stay, lesser blood loss, lesser need for transfusions, lesser need for ICU stay and lesser complications with similar or equivalent functional and aesthetic outcomes when compared to Open surgery.