Lambdoid (Posterior Plagiocephaly)

new_diagrams_lambdoidSuture fused: Right, left or both Lambdoid sutures

Shape of Skull:      
In lambdoid synostosis the back of the skull is flattened on the side where the suture is fused.  However the most obvious feature when looking from both above the skull and behind the skull is the asymmetry of the ears.  When very severe this can also have a compensatory effect on the shape of the skull in other parts including a bulging on the opposite side at the back and at the same side on the forehead.

Lambdoid synostosis is extremely rare on its own but is often found in combination with other fused sutures as part of a syndrome.  When the lambdoid suture is the only suture fused it represents approximately 1% of all types of non syndromic craniosynostosis.

Procedure – The procedure of choice is a posterior cranial vault remodelling which addresses the shape of the skull at the back however often the asymmetry of the ears remains after surgery but becomes less obvious as the child continues to grow.

Age at treatment – Greater than 1 year of age.