Delayed Postnatal Synostosis without Spheno-occipital Synchondrosis Fusion: A Curious Case of Apert Syndrome

Abstract

Summary: Apert syndrome classically presents with craniosynostosis at birth, most commonly of the bilateral coronal sutures, which may lead to cephalocranial disproportion and elevated intracranial pressure, the latter of which is associated with optic atrophy, visual loss, and developmental delays. A small number of patients with syndromic craniosynostosis demonstrate open sutures at birth; however, all previously reported patients of this subtype have been reported to develop premature suture fusion in the early postnatal period and/or require cranial vault expansion for increased intracranial pressure. Here, we report on a patient with Apert syndrome who did not have closed sutures at birth, and only began to demonstrate unilateral coronal suture fusion between ages 4 and 6 years, yet neither developed phenotypic signs of craniosynostosis nor evidence of intracranial hypertension. Moreover, despite demonstrating patency of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis, the patient developed progressive midface hypoplasia, requiring a subcranial Le Fort 3 advancement with external distraction at age 9. Now at skeletal maturity, this patient has a normal cranial shape and will likely never require cranial vault surgery for functional or aesthetic concerns. We are not aware of any prior reports of a patient with Apert syndrome who did not require intracranial surgery over long-term follow-up.