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twinmom
08-29-2008, 03:42 AM
Here I will try to tell our whole story.

Aug. 29th, 2008
When Victoria and William was born, Victorias cranium was very much out of shape, at first they told us that it was due to the position in my uterus. But to be safe, they took some clinical photos of her, when she was only 1 day old and we got an appointment to the pediatrician one month later.

In February 2008 we went to the first appointment expecting to be told that Victoria was okay and there was nothing to be worried about. So it came as a shock to us, when the pediatrician said that she might need surgery and that her sutures might be prematurely fused. She wasn*t an expert though, so she referred us to Aarhus University hospital for further examinations.

Ultimo March 2008 we had our first consultation with the Neurosurgeon Leif Christensen. A very competent man! He looked at our daughter for less than 2 min. and gave the diagnosis "right coronal synostosis" He explained that she had to be operated when she was about 8-9 months old.

Ultimo June 2008 we went to pre-op consultation at the hospital. We were presented to alle the staff we will meet during the time we are admitted to the hospital. The explained the proceedure in details for us.

CT and MR scans will take place on the day of surgery, so they do not have to put her in anesthesia so many times. They do not use helmets here in DK so unfortunately her back head will alway be crooked.

Ultimo August 2008 we had a checkup, they checked if the eye nerve was okay (they said that this is they way they can check if the brainpressure is rising) So she is a healthy little girl, they were very pleased with her, the only downer was that the docter ( not the NS ) was sure that Victoria has multiple fuses, as the flatning has begun to appear over her left eye too.

Right now, I just wish we were on the other side. My thoughts are on the operation every day now, and I'm so scared, that she might be sick before surgery, so they will postpone it...

Sep. 8th, 2008
Today I have corresponded with the NS to clarify whether or not they can fix her back head. Here is the translated version:

"The operation, which Victoria is going to have is principly the same which you have described ( CVR and FOA).

The positional flatness and croockedness in the bag head is not something which can be fixed with an operation. There is a global agreement about this, that eventhough there might be some places where the try to fix it.

As far as I recall, Victoria is having a CT scan before the surgery, with this we can see how many closed sutures there is.

It is not possible to do a surgery in the back head in the same seance as we do the forehead. This is because she will be lying on her back for the operation. Should we operate her backhead, she will be positioned on the stomack."

Well much can be said about the NS, he is not good with parents, but his reputation here in DK is, that he is the absolut best in the country.

So I guess, we just have to live with the fact that she will always have a crooked backhead.

March 15th, 2009
Time passed by soo fast and sometimes you wonder what struck you :)

Victoria had her operation Oct 1st. and it went really well. Considering that it has probably been the most difficult thing in my life. And seeing you little baby after this kind of operation, that is never funny, It is scary!!!

On the other hand, it wasn't as scary as I had thought. Victoria was a little trooper. 3 days after the operation, we were home again, She was terrible swollen, and wanted to be with us the whole time, understandably. But after 7-10 days, when she could see again, she wanted to be on the floor, so she could play with her brother. After that time just passed, the scar healed so nicely that today it is almost invisible and if you don't know it is there, you cannot see it. Here in Denmark we do not have any post-op interviews with the docter (which I find really weird!) So May 5th, 2009 is the first time the neuro surgeon is going to see Victoria since he released us from the hospital. I must say that she has changed quite a lot, and much of the facial croockedness has gone. Her scull is still in an abnormal shape, and is probably not goint to change.

3 weeks ago we got the result of her genetesting, and it showed that she had Saethre-Chotzen syndrome! I have now started to learn a lot about SCS and I would really like to get in touch with others that also have kids with this diagnosis. Unfortunately due to long waiting time at the hospitals, they cannot see us before May :( So all I can do is, to search the internet, trying to learn all there is to learn. We have been referred to an ear doctor and an eye doctor to get that sorted out.

Janet
08-29-2008, 10:46 AM
Thanks for sharing your story....it's very hard waiting for the surgery to happen, there is so much time to think about things. Victoria will do great. :hugg

Jenny
08-29-2008, 10:52 AM
Thanks for sharing tina! Did they tell you what procedure they will be doing? I am asking because a CVR will reshape the back of the skull as well. I find it hard to beleive they won't correct it. My daughter had bicoronal synostosis, they performed a CVR and FOA and reshaped everything except her face itself. Maybe they are using a less invasive procedure for your daughter.. anyway, good luck! when is surgery scheduled?

twinmom
08-29-2008, 06:17 PM
Hi Jenny

Can you tell me what CVR and FOA means :) I haven't quite figured those terms out yet ;)

Surgery is scheduled for october 1st 2008, so in a months time.
The NS is very difficult to talt to, but last time i spoke with him, he practically said that i was my own fault that the back of the head was crooked, he said that it was positional plagiocephaly. I find that hard to believe, as the back of the head was crooked already on the day of birth...

Well once, I know the difference of CVR and FOA I will confront him about it, and see what he says.

I so wish that we had the opportunity of getting a second opinion, but here in Denmark, we don't have that possibility. Wé do not pay for medical services, so we have no saying in which hospital they go to. There's only 2 hospitals in Denmark that perform this surgery, the one 120 km away and them the other 400 km away.

Anyway, the NS is said to be the best in Denmark, he is just not very good at talking to parents ;)

Jenny
08-29-2008, 07:22 PM
yikes, i was gonna say get a second opinion! I hate dr's that belittle parents. Anyway, that sucks you can't get a second opinion. The flattening in the back is caused by the coronal synostosis. It could possibly be worsened because they are kinda stuck laying on that flat spot, but it wasn't right for him to say that. Kayla's was like that from birth. Her doctor has pics of her at two weeks. Anyway... .

CVR=cranial vault remodel/reconstruction-they cut ear to ear, remove the bones, reshape and place them back in

FOA=forehead orbital advancement-reshapes the forehead, temples, orbital bones

There are also procedures that are done endoscopically, but with coronals, it usually isn't recommended because of the amount of reshaping that is necessary. Coronals can have problems with vision and hearing because of the malformation of the bone.

does that help?

beccad
08-29-2008, 08:22 PM
I just wanted to say welcome and glad you found us here at CK! My daughter, Julianna, just had surgery in June, she had the CVR. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I have pictures and video on my blog linked in my signature. I also have pictures on my profile. I'll be praying for you and your family as you go through this cranio journey.

snickers9246
08-29-2008, 08:43 PM
Tina!! :hugg Glad you are up and at her in here! :) Welcome to the site and hope that there are other Moms that can help answer more of your questions. Especially if they now think Victoria is bi-coronal. :adore

Everyone Tina and I met on "Facebook" Of all places! :giggle

snickers9246
08-29-2008, 08:48 PM
Tine, Holly also had the Front Orbital Advancement..with the CVR.. she's right coronal and they also tweeked her tempural bone on the right side. :) That's the nice thing about having a Plastic Surgen work with the Neuro Drs. :) They do beautiful work together! :)

Everest
09-02-2008, 04:29 AM
Hi Tina, welcome to CK. I’m sorry to hear that your daughter needs surgery, but be confident that everything will do fine. The waiting part is not easy. I’m also waiting for my sons surgery on October 15. My son as the saggital and partial metopic sutures closed. In the appointment we had with the PS in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rotterdam</st1:place></st1:City>, she also mentioned they would not correct the back of his head (it’s quite prominent). She said that they do not do that because there are important blood vessels there. However here in CK I always see babies having the CVR done, so I will need to clarify that with the PS.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

Elizabeth
09-06-2008, 12:15 AM
Hi and welcome to CK!! I hope that everything goes well in your upcoming surgery. I tried to visit your website but it couldn't find it. :( Hopefully we can see mroe pictures of your adorable twins soon!

twinmom
09-06-2008, 12:00 PM
hi Elizabeth

LOL well i now corrected the error, so now you can use the link to our homepage. There are loads of pics.

To help you a bit ;) The menu is in the right side and here is some of the translation. All the pictures of the kids will be under the different months.
Forside = Front page
7. måned = 7th month (måned = month)
dåb = christning
Graviditeten = the pregnancy
Victorias plagiocefali = Victorias plagiocephaly
Vores bryllup = our wedding
Vores rejser = all our travelling
Gæstebog = guestbook (and your are welcome to leave a message :)

Monica
09-06-2008, 09:17 PM
I was able to get to the webpage - I loved all your pictures.

Will you be able to work with a plastic surgeon at all? Or will it just be the Neurosurgeon. As far as the bedside manner of the doctor, it's my impression that these guys are often very intellectual and have trouble relating to the parents. My NS was fantastic; however, he was a little awkward communicating and the best way to get info from him was to ask, ask, ask. Be sure to write down all your questions so that you won't forget or get distracted by all the information coming to you. Also write down what he tells you for the same reason. Good luck and definitely keep us posted!

twinmom
09-07-2008, 02:50 AM
Hi Monica

Thanks for visiting the webpage :) Unfortunately we will not be able to word with a Plastic surgeon. Here in DK the NS has a coorperation with a jaw surgeon, wonder why, but that is how it is. Is is those 2 that perform all the cranio surgeries here in Denmark.

I'll make sure to bring pen and paper to our next meeting. I truly hope that he will perform a CVR and FOA so that she will get her looks back again.

I'll make sure to keep you postet. we are now 3 weeks away from the operation. I wish it was tomorrow, so we could get it over and done with :)

snickers9246
09-09-2008, 09:29 PM
Tina! I'm so glad you found us and me! :hugg everything will be fine with beautiful little Victoria. Soon enough you will be on the otherside! :pray

sadams814
09-18-2008, 09:23 AM
Tina,
Welcome and congrats on finding this website. These parents have a wealth of information and are great to lean on when you need it.
I have to say that after reading Victoria's story, I was amazed. Our daughter, Mady, is about a month post-op from her coronal FOA surgery and she has positional plagiocephaly as well. The surgeons had us wait for her skull to harden (age 9 months) so that the surgery could be performed. I suppose in all of my anxiety with the surgery, I hadn't even thought to ask if the surgery would remedy the flat spot on the back of her head. After the surgery was over and the swelling had gone down, I was quite dissappointed to still find the flat spot. It was then that the doctor told us that the surgery was strictly for the forehead and nothing else. He said that, if it was adressed earlier, Mady could have had helmet therapy when she was a couple months old but now, it was too late!
So, like your daughter, Mady will have to live with a flat spot on the back of her head. The only thing that we can hope is that she grews very think, curly hair to make it less noticable.
I know you said that they don't so helmet therapy in Denmark....could the doctors here (the US) work with your daughter without seeing her??
Just a thought....probably silly. :-)
Sheli

Tawnia
09-18-2008, 09:58 AM
My daughter had surgery for metopic and she has a flat spot on the back of her head. It is getting less and less noticeable as she gets older though and her Dr. said it will "round out" on its own over time. Here they only do helmet therapy for severe plagio as they said everything else they will grow out of.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/oddones_723/Azia%20First%20Birthday/Azia%20Year%202/103_0808.jpg

twinmom
09-18-2008, 05:26 PM
Hi Sheli

Well, Victoria is 8 months today, so i think that it is too late for her as well, we'll just pray for the curly hair :D

In regards to the docters in the US, I think it will be difficult for them to work with us here. The distance is big, and alle medical papers we have, is in danish.

Tawnia, great to hear that Azias spot is getting better, it really gives me hope. Our family doctor said that over time it would probably improve a lot, it will never go away, but an aprovement is better than nothing.

Well I can't really understand that surgery is only 2 weeks away now. It seems so close and I'm starting to wonder, what to bring to the hopital, I'm thinking of clothing for Victoria. And what about a pram? The only thing is, that I only have a twinpram... well, maybe I should call the hospital, but what did you bring.

dannlark
09-18-2008, 05:43 PM
You'll be on the other side before you know it! I hope these last weeks pass quickly for you. Come here for support when you feel like you're falling, we're here to help.

As far as things to bring... At Ian's hospital, they had little wagons that you could put the kids in and take them for walks around the floor. Maybe they have that at your hospital. If not, I'd recommend a stroller or the pram that you can put pillows in and sit your daughter more upright in and take her for walks. The seem to really love the motion and it helps them sleep and settle down. It's important that her head is kept upright as much as possible to help with the swelling. As for clothes, we kept Ian in his diaper for the first 2 days and then, when he had all the lines removed and had a bath and a good hair wash, we put him in snap up jammies. He wore them home later on day 3. If all goes well, they really aren't there for too long so don't over pack. We brought music for him to listen to and some favorite toys and blanket for him too.

I just also wanted to mention that my oldest son used to scoot around everywhere on his back (it was funny to watch) before he could walk. He only crawled for a very short time. But all that scooting on his back made him have a big flat spot and we were very concerned with it but his dr said it would go away once he started walking and over time, she was right, it did. Your daughter still has a LOT of brain growth to come and in turn a lot of skull growth. As long as you are repositioning her so she's off the flat spot most of the time, it should correct itself quite a bit.

Stay strong Mommy, you're doing a great job!!!

sadams814
09-20-2008, 10:20 AM
Tina,
It's silly but after looking at the pictures of your cutie, I realized that while your daughters' flat spot is more prominent than Mady's, Mady's left protusion on her forehead was larger. I think maybe my family was right...I'm looking for perfection. I think after the price that our babies pay after the surgery, we do expect perfection to some degree. I know it isn't right. I need to pick out the positive results of the surgery a little more...and ignore the negative...since I can't change it anyway. :crazy

twinmom
10-10-2008, 07:43 AM
So now we are finally on the other side :) And it feels great. Victoria has been really brave through all this.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36051&l=3fea4&id=721333757

This link refers to all the operation pics I have put on facebook, It truly amazes me how fast children heal.

Victoria is in a great mood, and she really wants to play on the floor, so my biggest concern is that she will get herself in trouble, we have to be over her like a hawk ;)

Today she is smiling, laughing and playing...

twinmom
03-15-2009, 04:52 AM
I have now updated our story.

Since Victoria has been diagnosed with Saethre-Chotzen syndrome, I would like to get in contact with others in the same situation.