Craniofacial Surgery

Dr. Breidahl draws on his expert training in Craniofacial Surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital. Additionally, through award of a Churchill Fellowship and Royal Australian College of Surgeons Travelling Fellowship he completed further subspecialty training in Taipei, London, New York, Dallas and Los Angeles.

Craniofacial Surgery relates to surgery of the cranium and face. This may be indicated due to congenital problems of development, after trauma or tumours.

Congenital problems that may be helped with craniofacial surgery include Craniosynostosis, which may occur as an isolated problem or as part of a syndrome, such as Apert’s and Crouzon’s syndrome. Encephalocoeles are conditions where the lining and bone surrounding the brain are deficient, with brain tissue protruding between the eyes.

Other conditions, such as deformational plagiocephally (literally “crooked head” caused by a baby’s head being caught against its mother’s pelvis in the womb, or from the “back to sleep” position), can be treated non-surgically with helmet moulding.

Dr Breidahl teaches craniofacial surgery in Vietnam and Sri Lanka as part of his aid work with Operation Smile Australia and Interplast.