Nobody wants their child to go for surgery. However, it is sometimes the best or only treatment option to improve an issue acquired through trauma or address congenital differences and inherited conditions. At PNW Plastic Surgery, Urbinelli, M.D., M.A., F.A.A.P. provides exceptional Portland, OR pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgery for infants, children, or adults needing a craniofacial procedure. The doctor has many years of experience in distraction osteogenesis, Pierre robin sequence, and craniosynostosis surgical skills. For more consultations about the craniofacial procedure, call or schedule an appointment online today.
What Exactly is Craniofacial Surgery?
This is a highly advanced and specialized field that corrects any problem on your child’s head, skull, neck, face, or jaws. The specialist restores the acquired and congenital problems in soft tissues or/and bones during the procedure. Dr. Urbinelli is a proven leader in craniofacial surgery and has gained experience from one of the busiest pediatric and craniofacial plastic surgery programs.
What Conditions Can Be Treated with Craniofacial Surgery?
Craniofacial conditions result from the abnormal bone growth in the skull or face, while others develop from the differences of the jaws, face, ears, or skull acquired because of spontaneous or inherited differences or acquired post-surgically or post traumatically. Some of the conditions that can be collected with craniofacial surgery include:
- Craniosynostosis
An infant’s skull is made of several discrete bones connected loosely, allowing the bones to develop and the head to expand as the brain grows. Craniosynostosis happens when a child’s skull bones fuse very soon, restricting brain growth and affecting the child’s IQ, neurodevelopment, and facial bones. This condition can be treated with craniofacial surgery depending on the suture type, patients’ age, need, and medical history.
- Craniofacial macrosomia
This is a common congenital difference in which one side of the face is lesser than the other. This condition mostly affects the ear and jaw of the baby, but it might also affect the neck, cheek, and bones around the eyes.
- Cleft palate and lip
A cleft lip develops when the upper lip does not meet during the development of the baby. When this condition affects the roof of the mouth, it is referred to as a cleft palate.
- Hemifacial atrophy
This condition mostly develops during early adulthood. The condition appears progressively as the soft tissues, cartilage, skin, and the underlying bone on one side of the face begin to shrink and weaken.
- Plagiocephaly
This disorder results in a misshapen head either due to the baby’s position in the uterus or after birth when the newborn sleeps in one position. The pressure on the skull causes one head area to flatten.
- Jaw conditions
Various craniofacial conditions can cause issues with jaw development and occlusion, causing a smaller or larger jaw.
Dr. Urbinelli specializes in a comprehensive range of procedures required to repair any craniofacial conditions, including doing complex, open cranial vault remodeling, cranial surgery, minimally invasive endoscopic dermoid excision, etc.
To sum up, if you or your child have any of these craniofacial conditions, Dr. Urbinelli at PNW Plastic Surgery is well skilled in collecting and treating these disorders. For more consultations on the best treatment choice for your child, call or book an appointment online today.