Craniofacial Surgery relates to surgery of the cranium and face. This may be indicated due to congenital problems of development, after trauma or tumours.
Congenital problems that may be helped with craniofacial surgery include Craniosynostosis, which may occur as an isolated problem or as part of a syndrome, such as Apert's and Crouzon's syndrome. Encephalocoeles are conditions where the lining and bone surrounding the brain are deficient, with brain tissue protruding between the eyes.
Other conditions, such as deformational plagiocephally (literally "crooked head" caused by a baby's head being caught against its mother's pelvis in the womb, or from the "back to sleep" position), can be treated non-surgically with helmet moulding.
Dr. Breidahl's Special Interest in Craniofacial Surgery
Dr. Breidahl is very well trained in Craniofacial Surgery. Having been exposed to the sub-specialty in his training at the Royal Children's Hospital, he underwent further subspecialty training in the field in Taipei, London, New York, Dallas and Los Angeles, supported by a Churchill Fellowship and Royal Australian College of Surgeons Travelling Fellowship.
He was a founding member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of CranioMaxilloFacial Surgeons, and has severed 4 years as Secretary of the Society and is the current President. He has published and presented extensively internationally in the field (see Bibliography) and has had over 10 years experience working within multidisciplinary Craniofacial units at the Royal Children’s Hospital and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
