ABSTRACT
Craniosynostosis is the premature fusion of the sutures of the skull. Although the cause of this condition is not known, TGF-beta has been strongly implicated as playing a major role. Craniosynostosis can occur as an isolated event or in the con text o f a craniofacial syndrome. The sporadic nonsyndromic cases are more com mon (incidence of 1 in 2000 live births) than the syndromic cases, many of which are related to defects in the FGF receptor (FGFR). Virchows law can help predict the developing skull shape. It states that growth is restricted perpendicular to the fused suture, and compensatory growth occurs parallel to the affected sutures.
