Craniosynostosis Surgery

Endoscopic Craniosynostosis Repair Surgery If your baby has been diagnosed with craniosynostosis, you may have a lot of questions about the treatment options available. At St. Louis Children’s Hospital, our surgeons spend time with you to listen to your questions and concerns.

For appointments call 314.454.5437 or 800.678.5437.

How is Craniosynostosis Treated?

When two or more bones fuse together, they must be separated through surgery. We offer two surgical options for craniosynostosis:

Endoscopic craniosynostosis repair (known as minimally invasive)
Open craniosynostosis repair surgery

In the capable hands of our surgeons, each method provides an equally successful outcome. However, endoscopic craniosynostosis repair can only be done on children under six months of age.

Why Choose St. Louis Children’s Hospital for Craniosynostosis Treatment?

We believe in taking a minimally invasive approach to treating craniosynostosis whenever possible. That’s why our hospital helped pioneer and refine endoscopic craniosynostosis repair 10 years ago.

You can trust our experienced surgeons and rely on our friendly staff. Here are a few other good reasons to choose St. Louis Children’s Hospital for your child’s care:

Experience and Expertise

The most experienced in the region. Our surgeons perform more craniosynostosis surgeries than most other programs in the Midwest. Over the history of our program, we have served thousands of patients.
Minimally invasive option for all types of craniosynostosis. Because our surgeons are so experienced with endoscopic craniosynostosis repair, we can offer this option to most children that meet the age criteria. Other surgeons only perform endoscopic repairs in limited cases.
Multidisciplinary approach. We bring together all the experts your child may need for ongoing care: plastic surgery, neurosurgery, developmental psychology, speech and language, dentistry, orthodontics, ophthalmology, nursing, ear-nose-throat and genetics. After surgery, our team follows your child through age five and beyond.
Nationally recognized experts. Our surgeons regularly teach other doctors about best practices in craniosynostosis repair.
History of innovation. We developed the post-surgical helmeting protocol used by doctors across the country. In fact, the ‘St. Louis Protocol’ is named after us.
Convenience. We have streamlined our procedures to get you all the information you need during your very first visit. You don’t need to take your baby from one clinic to another to coordinate care because we do it for you.

Outcomes

Low re-operation rate. You may have been told children with craniosynostosis require multiple surgeries to treat the problem. In the capable hands of our surgeons, our reoperation rate is under 2 percent in the first year after surgery and even rarer thereafter.
Safety first. Patient safety is paramount to us. No craniosynostosis patient of ours has ever experienced a serious surgical complication, such as stroke or heart attack. Learn more about craniosynostosis surgery safety at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Is Craniosynostosis Surgery Safe?

At St. Louis Children’s Hospital, we’re proud of our pristine track record of patient safety. We have never experienced a serious adverse event, like stroke, in the 35-plus year history of this program.

Learn more about craniosynostosis surgery safety at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.