Osteogenic Profiling of Tissue From Children With Craniosynostosis

The screening procedures include review and collection of information from the patient's medical record, Name, Date of Birth, Medical record number, clinical diagnosis of classification of craniosynostosis, genetic screen for syndromic synostosis (FGFR, TWIST, MSX2 mutation screen), and a clinical examination at the Cleft -Craniofacial Center. During the clinical examination, the plastic surgeon will determine the presence of a craniosynostosis and the need for surgical intervention. The evaluation and surgical repair of these patients with craniosynostosis will not differ from normal, nor from the current standard of care.

In order to reconstruct, reshape, and expand the contours of the deformed craniofacial skeleton, large skin incisions and subcutaneous dissections are necessary to allow for sufficient exposure during the procedure. These large incisions and dissections are a necessary part of the reconstruction. During the normal course of the procedure, temporalis muscle, a muscle of mastication in the temporal area, and subcutaneous adipose will be visible and exposed. It is only after the plastic surgeon has obtained this standard exposure that excisional biopsies of a maximum size of 2mm X 2mm X 3mm will be taken from consented patients. Bone samples will be collected from bone tissue that would normally be discarded during the reconstructive surgery, so no additional procedures are needed to collect the bone samples. Biopsy samples will not be provided to secondary investigators. The muscle and adipose biopsies are research required procedures. At the time of surgery one sample of tissue will be taken from temporalis muscle, subcutaneous adipose, and bone. The investigator will review the results of the test/procedure that are part of the standard of care and results will become part of the research record. The investigators will continue to use and disclose identifiable medical information and keep stored tissue samples for seven years. After this seven year period, all identifying information will be removed samples will be destroyed.

The muscle and adipose tissue biopsies will take approximately 10 minutes. The samples of bone tissue will be discarded as a result of the reconstructive surgery and will, therefore, not add any time to the surgical procedure.

Subjects will not be notified of the results of this study because the results will not impact the clinical care of the subject.