Midline shift is a shift of the brain past its center line. The sign may be evident on neuroimaging such as CT scanning. The sign is considered ominous because it is commonly associated with a distortion of the brain stem that can cause serious dysfunction evidenced by abnormal posturing and failure of the pupils to constrict in response to light. Midline shift is often associated with high intracranial pressure (ICP), which can be deadly. In fact, midline shift is a measure of ICP; presence of the former is an indication of the latter. Presence of midline shift is an indication for neurosurgeons to take measures to monitor and control ICP. Immediate surgery may be indicated when there is a midline shift of over 5 mm. The sign can be caused by conditions including traumatic brain injury,stroke, hematoma, or birth deformity that leads to a raised intracranial pressure.

Midline shift measurements and imaging has multiple applications. The severity of brain damage is determined by the magnitude of the change in symmetry. Another use is secondary screening to determine deviations in brain trauma at different times after a traumatic injury as well as initial shifts immediately after. The severity of shift is directly proportional to the likeliness of surgery having to be performed. MLS also has the aptitude to diagnoses the very pathology that caused it. The MLS measurement can be used to successfully distinguish between a variety of intracranial conditions including acute subdural hematoma, malignant middle cerebral artery infarction, epidural hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, chronic subdural hematoma, infarction, intraventrical hemorrhage, a combination of these symptoms, or the absence of pertinent damage altogether.

The surgical treatment involves the resection of the extracranial venous package and ligation of the emissary communicating vein. In some cases of SP, surgical excision is performed for cosmetic reasons. The endovascular technique has been described by transvenous approach combined with direct puncture and the recently endovascular embolization with Onyx.

A Tornwaldt cyst is a benign cyst located in the upper posterior nasopharynx. It can be seen on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head as a well-circumscribed round mass lying in the midline. In most cases, treatment is not necessary. It was first described by Gustav Ludwig Tornwaldt.

Management consists of observation only. A complete and fast recovery will normally occur with caput succedaneum. If the baby's scalp contour has changed, a normal contour should be regained.

The baby will often be irritable so may require analgesia for its headache and handling should be kept to a minimum for the first few days.

The nature of this malformation remains unclear. Congenital, spontaneous, and acquired origins are accepted. The hypothesis of a spontaneous origin in the current case of SP is supported by no evidence of associated anomalies, such as cerebral aneurysmal venous malformations, systemic angiomas, venous angioma dural malformation, internal cerebral vein aneurysm, and cavernous hemangiomas.

Cobb syndrome is a rare congenital disorder characterized by visible skin lesions with underlying spinal angiomas or arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). The skin lesions of Cobb syndrome typically are present as port wine stains or angiomas, but reports exist of angiokeratomas, angiolipomas, and lymphangioma circumscriptum. The intraspinal lesions may be angiomas or AVMs and occur at levels of the spinal cord corresponding to the affected skin dermatomes. They may in turn produce spinal cord dysfunction and weakness or paralysis.

The disorder was first described by Berenbruch in 1890, but became widely known only after Cobb's report in 1915. Cobb syndrome is thought to be more common in males and have no racial predilection, but only a few dozen cases are known. It is believed to be due to a sporadic mutation, since parents of affected children usually have no evidence of the disease.

Cerebellar stroke syndrome is a condition in which the circulation to the cerebellum is impaired due to a lesion of the superior cerebellar artery, anterior inferior cerebellar artery or the posterior inferior cerebellar artery.

Cardinal signs include vertigo, headache, vomiting, and ataxia.

Cerebellar strokes account for only 2-3% of the 600 000 strokes that occur each year in the United States. They are far less common than strokes which occur in the cerebral hemispheres. In recent years mortality rates have decreased due to advancements in health care which include earlier diagnosis through MRI and CT scanning. Advancements have also been made which allow earlier management for common complications of cerebellar stroke such as brainstem compression and hydrocephalus.

Research is still needed in the area of cerebellar stroke management; however, it has been proposed that several factors may lead to poor outcomes in individuals who suffer from cerebellar stroke. These factors include:

1. Declining levels of consciousness

2. New signs of brainstem involvement

3. Progressing Hydrocephalus

4. Stroke to the midline of the cerebellum (a.k.a. the vermis)

Since the symptoms caused by this disease are present at birth, there is no “cure.” The best cure that scientists are researching is awareness and genetic testing to determine risk factors and increase knowledgeable family planning. Prevention is the only option at this point in time for a cure.

A maxillary torus is only removed in instances where it is problematic. This includes cases where in an edentulous patient, it extends to the vibrating line, preventing a posterior seal of the denture and posterior seal at the fovea palatinae. Other indications for removal include frequent trauma to the torus, owing to its size or the thinness of the mucoperiosteum overlying it, disturbance of speech, and rapid growth in patients who are cancer-phobic.

Because newborns can breathe only through their nose, the main goal of postnatal treatment is to establish a proper airway. Primary surgical treatment of FND can already be performed at the age of 6 months, but most surgeons wait for the children to reach the age of 6 to 8 years. This decision is made because then the neurocranium and orbits have developed to 90% of their eventual form. Furthermore, the dental placement in the jaw has been finalized around this age.

As with almost every kind of surgery, the main complications in both treatments of hypertelorism include excessive bleeding, risk of infection and CSF leaks and dural fistulas. Infections and leaks can be prevented by giving perioperative antibiotics and identifying and closing of any dural tears. The risk of significant bleeding can be prevented by meticulous technique and blood loss is compensated by transfusions. Blood loss can also be reduced by giving hypotensive anesthesia. Rarely major eye injuries, including blindness, are seen. Visual disturbances can occur due to the eye muscle imbalance after orbital mobilization. Ptosis and diplopia can also occur postoperatively, but this usually self-corrects. A quite difficult problem to correct postoperatively is canthal drift, which can be managed best by carefully preserving the canthal tendon attachments as much as possible. Despite the extensiveness in these procedures, mortality is rarely seen in operative correction of hypertelorism.

Structural nasal deformities are corrected during or shortly after the facial bipartition surgery. In this procedure, bone grafts are used to reconstruct the nasal bridge. However, a second procedure is often needed after the development of the nose has been finalized (at the age of 14 years or even later).

Secondary rhinoplasty is based mainly on a nasal augmentation, since it has been proven better to add tissue to the nose than to remove tissue. This is caused by the minimal capacity of contraction of the nasal skin after surgery.

In rhinoplasty, the use of autografts (tissue from the same person as the surgery is performed on) is preferred. However, this is often made impossible by the relative damage done by previous surgery. In those cases, bone tissue from the skull or the ribs is used. However, this may give rise to serious complications such as fractures, resorption of the bone, or a flattened nasofacial angle.

To prevent these complications, an implant made out of alloplastic material could be considered. Implants take less surgery time, are limitlessly available and may have more favorable characteristics than autografts. However, possible risks are rejection, infection, migration of the implant, or unpredictable changes in the physical appearance in the long term.

At the age of skeletal maturity, orthognathic surgery may be needed because of the often hypoplastic maxilla. Skeletal maturity is usually reached around the age of 13 to 16. Orthognathic surgery engages in diagnosing and treating disorders of the face and teeth- and jaw position.

Opitz G/BBB Syndrome is a rare genetic condition caused by one of two major types of mutations: MID1 mutation on the short (p) arm of the X chromosome or a mutation of the 22q11.2 gene on the 22nd chromosome. Since it is a genetic disease, it is an inherited condition. However, there is an extremely wide variability in how the disease presents itself.

In terms of prevention, several researchers strongly suggest prenatal testing for at-risk pregnancies if a MID1 mutation has been identified in a family member. Doctors can perform a fetal sex test through chromosome analysis and then screen the DNA for any mutations causing the disease. Knowing that a child may be born with Opitz G/BBB syndrome could help physicians prepare for the child’s needs and the family prepare emotionally. Furthermore, genetic counseling for young adults that are affected, are carriers or are at risk of carrying is strongly suggested, as well (Meroni, Opitz G/BBB syndrome, 2012). Current research suggests that the cause is genetic and no known environmental risk factors have been documented. The only education for prevention suggested is genetic testing for at-risk young adults when a mutation is found or suspected in a family member.

The surgery to correct hypertelorism is usually done between 5 and 8 years of age. This addresses the psychosocial aspects in the child's early school years. Another reason for correction age 5 or older is that the surgery should be delayed until the tooth buds have grown out low enough into the maxilla, thus preventing damage to them. Also, before age 5 the craniofacial bones are thin and fragile, which can make surgical correction difficult. In addition, it is possible that orbital surgery during infancy may inhibit midface growth.

For the treatment of hypertelorism there are 2 main operative options: The box osteotomy and the facial bipartition (also referred to as median fasciotomy).

Sternal clefts are rare congenital malformations that result from defective embryologic fusion of paired mesodermal bands in the ventral midline. They may be associated with other midline defects (as in pentalogy of Cantrell). It may also occur in isolation. Sternal cleft is treated by surgery in early life to avoid fixation leading to immobility.

Although generally benign, the cyst must be removed if the patient exhibits difficulty in breathing or swallowing, or if the cyst is infected. Even if these symptoms are not present, the cyst may be removed to eliminate the chance of infection or development of a carcinoma, or for cosmetic reasons if there is unsightly protrusion from the neck.

Thyroid scans and thyroid function studies are ordered preoperatively; this is important to demonstrate that normally functioning thyroid tissue is in its usual area.

Surgical management options include the Sistrunk procedure, en bloc central neck dissection, suture-guided transhyoid pharyngotomy, and Koempel's supra-hyoid technique. Cystectomy is an inadequate approach.

Because the cause of facial clefts still is unclear, it is difficult to say what may prevent children being born with facial clefts. It seems that folic acid contributes to lowering the risk of a child being born with a facial cleft.

Caput succedaneum is a neonatal condition involving a serosanguinous, subcutaneous, extraperiosteal fluid collection with poorly defined margins caused by the pressure of the presenting part of the scalp against the dilating cervix (tourniquet effect of the cervix) during delivery.

It involves bleeding below the scalp and above the periosteum.

There have been cases of improvement in extra-ocular movement with botulinum toxin injection.

Lip pits are harmless and do not usually require any treatment, although in some reported cases surgical excision has been used.

The Sistrunk procedure is the surgical resection of the central portion of the hyoid bone along with a wide core of tissue from the midline area between the hyoid and foramen cecum. It involves excision not only of the cyst but also of the path's tract and branches, and removal of the central portion of the hyoid bone is indicated to ensure complete removal of the tract. The original Sistrunk papers (the "classic" procedure described in 1920, and the "modified" procedure described in 1928) are available on-line with a modern commentary.

In general, the procedure consists of three steps:

1. incision

2. resection of cyst and hyoid bone

3. drainage and closure

There are several versions of the Sistrunk procedure, including:

- "classic": excision of the center of the hyoid bone along with a thyroglossal duct cyst, removal of one-eighth inch diameter core of tongue muscle superior to the hyoid at a 45 degree angle up to the foramen cecum to include mucosa, removal of one-quarter inch of the center of the hyoid bone, closure of the cut ends of the hyoid bone, and placement of a drain.

- modified: dissection through the tongue base but not through the mucosa. The modified Sistrunk procedure is the procedure of choice in both primary and revision cases.

- hyoid cartilage division: In cases without mature ossification of the hyoid bone, the non-fused cartilage portion can be divided by monopolar Bovie electro-cauterization or scissors. There were no statistical differences between this modified Sistrunk and the conventional Sistrunk procedure.

The procedure is relatively safe. In a study of 35 pediatric patients, Maddalozzo et. al found no major complications, but did observe minor complications (6 patients presented with seroma and 4 patients with local wound infections). A more recent paper analyzed 24 research studies on different treatment complications of thyroglossal cyst, and reported a total minor complications rate of 6% for the Sistrunk operation (classical or modified) and simple cystectomy treatment modalities. The Sistrunk procedure also showed better outcomes concerning the rate of overall recurrence, i.e. has the lowest rate of recurrence.

Sistrunk procedure results in a 95% cure rate and 95–100% long-term survival.

The disease is present at birth, but clinical manifestations are often not seen until later in life. Patients typically experience the sudden onset of pain, numbness, or weakness in their extremities as children or young adults. These symptoms may remit or remain stable and often can be localized below a specific dermatome. Symptoms tend to worsen over time either by discrete steps or continuously. Early development of weakness may portend a more aggressive course. Less commonly, weakness or bowel and bladder dysfunction may be presenting symptoms.

The major debility from Cobb syndrome is the onset of weakness, paresis, sensory loss, and loss of bowel and bladder control. A possible complication if treatment is delayed is Foix-Alajouanine disease or subacute necrotic myelopathy due to thrombosis in the spinal angioma.

Cutaneous lesions may be distributed anywhere in the dermatome, from midline back to abdomen. Midline back lesions may be associated with spina bifida. The cutaneous lesion may be very faint and may be more pronounced when the patient performs a Valsalva maneuver which increases abdominal pressure and causes preferential filling of the cutaneous angioma. Neurological examination will reveal weakness or paralysis and numbness or decreased sensation with a sharp upper cutoff.

There are several options for treatment of mouth anomalies like Tessier cleft number 2-3-7 . These clefts are also seen in various syndromes like Treacher Collins syndrome and hemifacial microsomia, which makes the treatment much more complicated. In this case, treatment of mouth anomalies is a part of the treatment of the syndrome.

A median mandibular cyst is a type of cyst that occurs in the midline of the mandible, thought to be created by proliferation and cystic degeneration of resting epithelial tissue that is left trapped within the substance of the bone during embryologic fusion of the two halves of the mandible, along the plane of fusion later termed the symphysis menti. A ture median mandibular cyst would therefore be classified as a non-odontogenic, fissural cyst. The existence of this lesion as a unique clinical entity is controversial, and some reported cases may have represented misdiagnosed odontogenic cysts, which are by far the most common type of intrabony cyst occurring in the jaws. It has also been suggested that the mandible develops as a bilobed proliferation of mesenchyme connected with a central isthmus. Therefore, it is unlikely that epithelial tissue would become trapped as there is no ectoderm separating the lobes in the first instance.