preemie-l Surgery for closed fontanelles
Helen1144@aol.com
Thu, 6 Jun 1996 14:08:21 -0400
There was a long article in a recent issue of the Wall Street Journal about
this operation, and the fact that it is often done unnecessarily. It brought
back the memory of a horrible time for us. Our son Ed was just home from the
hospital after being reshunted for hydrocephalus, and the sides of his
sutures were overlapping because of the sudden reduction in pressure
following surgery. At first we were told that he would need the operation
(and it is quite gruesome!). After a series of x-rays it was determined that
the sutures had not fused, thank God! I also don't recall this being treated
as any sort of emergency. I would advise that Susan get MANY different
opinions before proceding with surgery! This is an area of great controversy
right now, and most physicians, who are aware of the recent publicity, will
be reluctant to recommend surgery unless absolutely necessary.
Good luck!
Helen Harrison