08 Jul Cho Lab Receives D2P SEED Funding to Develop App to Detect Birth Defects of the Skull
Daniel Cho, MD, PhD
It’s not uncommon for infants to have a misshapen head, and often these skull deformities are caused by the baby’s position in the womb or when they pass through the birth canal during delivery. But in rare cases, it is caused by one or more bones of the skull fusing too early. This condition, called craniosynostosis, can restrict the brain’s ability to grow and can result in developmental and cognitive delays, seizures, blindness, or even death. Surgery can correct craniosynostosis, but early identification is critical as the surgery is far less invasive if it is done in an infant under 5 months of age.
“The issue is that many primary care providers are not confident in identifying the subtle variations in head shape differences to reliably identify craniosynostosis,” explained Daniel Cho, MD, PhD, an Assistant Professor in the Division of Plastic Surgery who specializes in the treatment of infants and children with birth defects that affect the head and skull. “This delays the referral of patients with craniosynostosis to specialty care, often requiring them to have a much more extensive surgery – which also increases the postoperative complications and risks the infant could face.”