Three-year-old child undergoes procedure to treat fused skull bones

Three-year-old girl undergoes life-changing surgery for Pfeiffer syndrome, enabling brain growth and relieving pressure, at SIMS hospital in Chennai.

A three-year-old girl from Madhavaram recently underwent a procedure to treat Pfeiffer syndrome. This condition results in premature fusion of skull bones, preventing brain development. Doctors of SIMS Hospital in Vadapalani prised open the fused parts to enable brain growth.

The surgeons said Pfeiffer syndrome occurred in one in one lakh children. When the bones fuse before the brain develops fully, it puts pressure on brain tissues, which descend into the spinal canal. Such children present difficulty in performing daily tasks. Parents often seek treatment very late, doctors said. Normally, brain development is fast in the first two years of a child’s life and slows down by the age of 20. Often, parents seek medical treatment only when the child is aged three or four, doctors said.

Neurosurgeons at the hospital used a minimally invasive advanced method called posterior cranial vault distraction to expand the posterior part of the skull and create room for the brain to develop. “This method reduces complications and the risk of relapse by preventing a full separation of the skull from the brain,” said Suresh Veeramani, senior consultant, Institute of Craniofacial Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery at the hospital.

The procedure relieves the pressure on the brain and helps it to develop. Patients with such conditions often present with headaches and bulging eyes. The child will later undergo a cosmetic plastic surgery as well. The doctors said the child can now go to a normal school though her IQ may be on the lower side. The surgery could cost as much as ₹3.5 lakh to ₹4 lakh.