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Choosing a Craniofacial Team for Your Child
Larry A. Sargent, M.D.

An infant born with a facial disfigurement can often present overwhelming obstacles for his or her parents. The first question many parents ask deals with finding proper medical treatment for their child. The complexity of many craniofacial defects requires the expertise of an established craniofacial team to treat the patient.

Craniofacial Surgery - Background
Craniofacial surgery is a relatively new field being officially recognized as a subspecialty in 1967. The objective of craniofacial surgery is to correct deformities of the facial and skull bones that result from birth defects, tumors, or trauma.

Dr. Paul Tessier, a French plastic surgeon, is considered to be the father of craniofacial surgery. Tessier's techniques are based on the principle that the skeletal defect must be either repositioned or reconstructed with bone grafts before the soft tissue can be repaired. Today, modern craniofacial surgery offers new hope for the surgical correction of major facial deformities that were once thought impossible to treat.

Diagnosis and the Referral Process
Craniofacial deformities can be congenital or acquired. For those patients born with craniofacial anomalies, the obstetrician, pediatrician or family practice doctor is the initial point of contact for appropriate medical treatment. Referrals should be made to a craniofacial center as soon as it is acceptable for the child to be evaluated.

Accurate diagnosis at an early age not only avoids unnecessary emotional stress, but also minimizes potential future problems associated with the deformities by early correction. For those patients with acquired deformities as the result of trauma or tumor resection, referral to a craniofacial center may be desirable to help restore facial function and appearance.

The Craniofacial Center
The care of craniofacial patients requires the expertise of super-specialized professionals from many health-care fields. Multidisciplinary teams have been established at regional centers to provide the comprehensive care necessary to adequately evaluate and treat craniofacial patients and their families. No single physician can possess the expertise to evaluate and treat all the abnormalities of these patients.

Often it is necessary for families to travel long distances to obtain care for their child. It is important to understand that many craniofacial conditions are rare

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The Tennessee Craniofacial Center, part of the Erlanger Health System, is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Center, led Larry A. Sargent, M.D., specializes in the evaluation and treatment of patients of all ages with craniofacial deformities. Location: 975 East Third Street. Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403
Phone: 423-778-9192 or 800-418-3223 Fax: 423-778-8172
Internet: www.craniofacialcenter.com Copyright ©1997, 2000, Erlanger Health Systems