Craniofacial Center

Conditions We Treat

Craniofacial Conditions

Seattle Children’s cares for children with the conditions listed here, as well as many others. Treating thousands of patients each year – with conditions ranging from cleft palate to rare syndromes – helps us continually improve our treatments.

Cleft Lip and Palate and Related Conditions

  • Stickler syndrome

    A genetic disorder of the connective tissue that supports the body’s joints and organs. It often causes problems with vision, hearing and development of the face and skeleton. Many children with this syndrome have cleft palate. Learn more.

  • Van der Woude syndrome

    A commonly inherited form of cleft lip and palate. Children with this condition are born with “pits,” or mounds of tissue in the lower lip. They may have cleft lip, cleft palate or both. Learn more.

  • Other cleft-related conditions

    Please contact us if you have questions about any type of craniofacial condition. Among the many cleft-related conditions we treat are:

    • Branchioocularfacial Syndrome
    • Ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting syndrome
    • Frontonasal dysplasia
    • Holoprosencephaly
    • Kabuki syndrome
    • Opitz syndrome
    • Oro-facial-digital syndrome
    • Oto-palato-digital spectrum disorders

Craniosynostosis and Related Syndromes

  • Apert syndrome

    This rare genetic form of craniosynostosis affects how a baby’s head, face, hands and feet look and work. Typically both of the soft, fibrous seams at the top and front of the skull (coronal sutures) are closed before birth. This affects the shape of the head and limits room for the brain to grow. Learn more.  

  • Crouzon syndrome

    In this rare genetic form of craniosynostosis, the bones of the skull, eye sockets and midface do not develop normally. It affects how a child’s head is shaped, how their face looks and how their teeth line up. Craniosynostosis is the early closing of one or more of the soft, fibrous seams (sutures) that separate the bony plates of the skull. Learn more.

  • Muenke syndrome

    This rare genetic form of craniosynostosis often causes an abnormally shaped head and flattened cheekbones. Children with this syndrome often have hearing loss and vision problems. Craniosynostosis is the early closing of one or more of the soft, fibrous seams (sutures) that separate the bony plates of the skull. Learn more.

  • Other craniosynostosis-related conditions

    We also treat children with and many other craniosynostosis-related disorders. Please contact us if you have questions about any type of craniofacial condition.

Conditions That Cause Very Small Ears or Jaws

  • Other conditions affecting the ears and jaws

    Please contact us if you have questions about any type of craniofacial condition that concerns you. Some of the other conditions that cause very small ears and jaws include:

    • Auriculocondylar syndrome
    • Branchio-oto-renal syndrome
    • CHARGE syndrome
    • Mandibulofacial dysostosis with microcephaly (MFDM)
    • Miller syndrome
    • Nager syndrome
    • Townes-Brocks syndrome

Other Rare Conditions

We also treat very rare craniofacial conditions that are not mentioned above. There are too many to list them all, but they include:

  • Beckwith-Weidemann syndrome
  • Blepharophimosis ptosis epicanthus inversus
  • Cleidocranial dysplasia
  • Fibrous dysplasia
  • Moebius sequence
  • Parry Romberg atrophy

See Patient and Family Resources for more information about these and other conditions.

Contact Us

Please call the Craniofacial Center at 206-987-2208 for an appointment, a second opinion or more information. We welcome calls from families about all types of craniofacial conditions, whether you live near Seattle or far away.

We offer dedicated support for families who live outside the Northwest. If you live outside of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming, please call 206-987-0184 or email us for more information.