TREATMENT OF CLOVERLEAF SKULL SYNDROME

Up to a few years ago, patients with cloverleaf skull deformity underw ent partial surgery to relieve intracranial hypertension with poor fun ctional and aesthetic results, often leading to relapses and reoperati ons, both in our own experience and in that of other authors. As of 19 90, however, we started to use the technique described by Persing et a l. to resolve the complex cloverleaf malformation in a single definiti ve procedure. Five patients, whose ages ranged from 2 months to 5 year s, achieved satisfactory results both as regards relief from intracran ial hypertension and preservation of visual acuity, and from the aesth etic viewpoint. Surgical approaches and their modifications are descri bed.