Craniosynostosis is characterized by the premature fusion of one or more major cranial sutures at birth or soon after. Single-suture non-syndromic craniosynostosis (NSC) is the most common form of craniosynostosis and includes the sagittal, metopic, unicoronal and unilambdoid subtypes. Characterized by an abnormal head shape specific to the fused suture type, NSC can cause increased intracranial pressure. Cranial sutures either originate from the neural crest or arise from mesoderm-derived mesenchymal stem cells. A mixture of environmental and genetic factors contributes to NSC, with genetic causes following a largely polygenic model. Physical examination is used to identify the majority of patients, but accompanying radiographic imaging can be confirmatory. The three major surgical techniques in use to treat NSC are cranial vault remodelling, strip craniectomy and spring-assisted cranioplasty. Surgical intervention is ideally performed in the first year of life, with a mortality of <1%. Health-care disparities contribute to delayed initial presentation and timely repair. Optimal timing of surgery and comparative outcomes by surgical technique remain under active study. School-age children with treated NSC on average have subtle, but lower cognitive and behavioural performance. However, patient-reported quality of life outcomes are comparable to those in control individuals.

Craniosynostosis is a prevalent craniofacial malformation in Finland; however, comprehensive population-based epidemiological data are limited. This study aimed to estimate the total and birth prevalence of craniosynostosis in Finland from 1987 to 2010 and examine temporal trends. We collected the data from nationwide registers maintained by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and Statistics Finland, as well as treating hospitals, encompassing live births, stillbirths, terminations for fetal anomalies, and infant deaths with suspected or diagnosed craniosynostosis or skull deformation. A craniofacial surgeon and a clinical geneticist reviewed 1878 medical records for diagnostic confirmation. Out of 877 craniosynostosis cases, 83% were single-suture synostoses (all live births), 10% craniosynostosis syndromes, and 7% multisutural non-syndromic synostoses. Live birth prevalence from 1987 to 2010 was 6.0/10,000 live births, ranging from 5.0/10,000 in 1987 to 7.5/10,000 in 2010. Total prevalence, including live births, stillbirths, and terminations, varied from 5.0/10,000 in 1987 to 8.0/10,000 in 2010. Sagittal synostosis was the most common synostosis, with a prevalence of 3.9/10,000 live births, followed by metopic (0.6/10,000), unicoronal (0.4/10,000), and unilambdoid (0.1/10,000) synostoses. The total combined prevalence of all craniosynostosis types significantly increased driven by a nonsignificant rise across all subgroups and a significant increase in the syndrome group. In live births increase was significant only within the syndrome subgroup, primarily due to an increase in Muenke syndrome patients. The rising prevalence of syndromes necessitates further investigation. Contrasting with trends in Europe, Australia, and the USA, Finland showed no significant increase in metopic craniosynostosis.