Metopic Synotosis??? (trigonocephaly)

Micelle78

Ok so everyone has probably seen my posts about my 3.5 yo DS with all of his speech, hyperlexia, low tone, feeding therapy, etc.  I had a DD 12.5 months ago and she appears (as I hold my breath and try to not to worry) like she is developing NT.  She has been pointing forever, trying to talk, crawled around 7 months and walked by 10.5 months.  She is very agile and realized she can climb stuff (so fun)

Anyway, I have been disturbed by a small visible ridge that goes from her forehead to right above her eye.  It has not gotten worse nor better.  Everyone keeps assuring me she is normal but I can't help thinking that this bump may be a sign.  Right before my son's speech stuff was apparent-- he had a period of time where the back of his head grew faster than the front.  He had two large "lobes" in the back and then the front caught up a bit.  It was sometime between the age of 1-1.5 **I think** which is right where she is.  His head was always on the larger end and continues to be, but no ridge.

I have kept myself from Googling until tonight.  I found the above condition which is basically described as a head that has its parts of the skull fuse too early allowing the brain little place to go since the skull plates need to move in order for the brain to develop normally,  Ignoring this condition could cause blindness, brain damage etc.  I can't help wondering if something similar happened to my son or if something is on the horizon with my DD

I am trying not to panic, but as many of us have mentioned, a second or third child feels like you are playing the genetic lottery. 

Anyone have experience with this? Dr Google scared the shit out of me!

Micelle78

I should also mention she is very petite (6% for weight, 28% for height) and head seems small after seeing my DS's huge head for so long

redheadedgirl

My youngest has a mild form of this. Her skull plates didn't fuse correctly or fused early. Anyway she has a small ridge that begins on the upper part of her forehead and back about 3 inches.  I consulted Dr. Google before my own Dr. when I first noticed it and was convinced she would need interventions.  When I did discuss with our Pedi he confirmed there was a fusing issue but unless she was showing cognitive delays there was nothing to be at all concerned about. She just turned 2 and is well ahead of her older sister (also a typically developing child) in all milestones.  Crawled early, walked early, extensive vocab. etc. Just wanted to let you know it may be nothing to worry about.

snicole131

When my son was 6 months old, our pedi noticed a ridge in his forehead. It is right in the middle and goes the whole length from the top of the forehead to the bridge of his nose. Our pedi ordered a CT scan and it showed that his metopic suture was fused. We were then referred to a neurosurgeon. I also consulted dr google and was convinced he would need surgery. We met with the neurosurgeon and were reassured there was nothing to be worried about, it was very mild. Like pp said, there were no developmental delays, no major shifts in his head shape or his face (eyebrows, eyes, etc). He also said that as our son's head grew the ridge may smooth itself out and disappear or he may always have a slight ridge. I honestly had not noticed it until our pedi pointed it out. Our son is 2yr 3m now and I can still see it. Interestly, the neurosurgeon made a comment about how he didn't understand why peds get nervous about this sort of thing...kind of like it wasn't a big deal. According to dr google, in some cases it can be very serious so we were a little confused. Anyway, I would definitely bring it up to your pedi just as a precaution! If I remember right, the metopic suture was the least suture to be concerned about. It is really the sagital and coronal that are concerning. Hope that helps!

Micelle78

Thank you ladies.  She just had her 12 month well visit and I forgot to mention it (3.5 yo DS with me and DD was getting three shots).  I will try to get ahold of them and ask, for piece of mind.  Maybe he felt her head during the exam and I didn't notice and maybe he said nothing because he wasn't worried.  BUT I totally need to know!

wellfleet04

My son had/has this.  He did not require surgery.  That suture did fuse prematurely for him, but as he's grown (now 5 years old) it has become undetectable.  When he was an infant the neurologist who was seeing him for another issue referred us to a neurosurgeon to evaluate the skull, and told us that he would "likely" need the surgery.  The neurosurgeon determined he didn't and it's been a non-issue ever since.  His pedi did feel the ridge also, but since we were already being tracked by the relevant doctors did not get involved.  

annibes

DS has/had a metopic ridge, too. He was about a year old when we really noticed it. His pediatrician just said we should keep an eye on it. I was doing a rotation on a cranio-facial team at the time and consulted the surgeons (talk about right place, right time!!!) who told me most of the surgeries for metopic ridge are cosmetic. The ridge is still there, but it's not as noticeable and I don't see it every time I look at DS anymore (just in the right light).