So I figured I should do a post on all the background and followup information the boys and their flat heads. Starting at our 4 month check up, the pediatrician noticed that they were beginning to have some flattening to their heads. She encouraged tummy time and all of that jazz and said we would just watch it. At their 6 month appointment, nothing had really gotten any worse, but they definitely still had flattened spots on their heads, so just to be sure, the pediatrician wanted us to see a Craniofacial Plastic Surgeon. She wanted to be sure that if any intervention needed to happen (i.e. helmets), that we be able to have the best possible outcome, which meant doing it as early as possible.
We met with the plastic surgeon 6 weeks ago and after examination, he determined that Lucas, although he did have flatterning, would likely outgrow his flattening and round out his head on his own (although it may not be perfect.) However, he was concerned about the way that Liam's was flat. It's hard to explain, but based on his exam, he was worried that one or more of the sutures of the bones of the skull had prematurely fused together (something that shouldn't happen until much later in life). If this had happened, he would need surgery in order to "unbreak" the fusion and allow the brain to grow without any trouble. So, Liam had to have a head CT in order to rule out if this had happened. Liam was an absolute champ and needed no sedation for the CT. He sat perfectly still and made Mommy so proud. Today, we met with the plastic surgeon again to find out the results. There is some partial fusion in a couple areas, but not in the area he was concerned about. All of the other sutures are wide open and are perfect. He feels that the small area that has fused will not cause any harm and Liam will grow through it (although there will still be more follow up). He also doesn't feel that helmets will be necesary for either of them. They may never have perfectly round heads, but with time, they will round out more than they are now. Because the flattening hasn't effected any of their facial features, he didn't recommend the helmets. THANK GOD FOR ANSWERED PRAYERS!!! The boys go back in 3 months for another follow up to ensure that nothing has changed, but good news as of now.
We met with the plastic surgeon 6 weeks ago and after examination, he determined that Lucas, although he did have flatterning, would likely outgrow his flattening and round out his head on his own (although it may not be perfect.) However, he was concerned about the way that Liam's was flat. It's hard to explain, but based on his exam, he was worried that one or more of the sutures of the bones of the skull had prematurely fused together (something that shouldn't happen until much later in life). If this had happened, he would need surgery in order to "unbreak" the fusion and allow the brain to grow without any trouble. So, Liam had to have a head CT in order to rule out if this had happened. Liam was an absolute champ and needed no sedation for the CT. He sat perfectly still and made Mommy so proud. Today, we met with the plastic surgeon again to find out the results. There is some partial fusion in a couple areas, but not in the area he was concerned about. All of the other sutures are wide open and are perfect. He feels that the small area that has fused will not cause any harm and Liam will grow through it (although there will still be more follow up). He also doesn't feel that helmets will be necesary for either of them. They may never have perfectly round heads, but with time, they will round out more than they are now. Because the flattening hasn't effected any of their facial features, he didn't recommend the helmets. THANK GOD FOR ANSWERED PRAYERS!!! The boys go back in 3 months for another follow up to ensure that nothing has changed, but good news as of now.
