Craniofacial Sutures: Development, Disease and Treatment

Sutures are more than just fibrous joints between the bones in our skull. They are active growth sites that influence the development, growth and shaping of our face and cranium. When suture development is disrupted, craniosynostosis can result, a condition which is characterized by the premature closure of one or more cranial sutures before brain growth is complete and leads to an abnormally shaped skull. In this publication, leading experts in the field, both researchers and clinicians, discuss suture morphogenesis from developmental, evolutionary and genetic perspectives. In addition, an appraisal of the molecular etiology, clinical presentation and treatment of craniosynostosis is presented, as well as an outlook to future areas of study and to innovative therapeutic philosophies.