Cephalic disorder

WikiDoc Resources for Cephalic disorder
Articles
Most recent articles on Cephalic disorder Most cited articles on Cephalic disorder Review articles on Cephalic disorder Articles on Cephalic disorder in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ
Media
Powerpoint slides on Cephalic disorder Images of Cephalic disorder Photos of Cephalic disorder Podcasts & MP3s on Cephalic disorder Videos on Cephalic disorder
Evidence Based Medicine
Cochrane Collaboration on Cephalic disorder Bandolier on Cephalic disorder TRIP on Cephalic disorder
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Trials on Cephalic disorder at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Cephalic disorder Clinical Trials on Cephalic disorder at Google
Guidelines / Policies / Govt
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Cephalic disorder NICE Guidance on Cephalic disorder NHS PRODIGY Guidance FDA on Cephalic disorder CDC on Cephalic disorder
Books
Books on Cephalic disorder
News
Cephalic disorder in the news Be alerted to news on Cephalic disorder News trends on Cephalic disorder
Commentary
Blogs on Cephalic disorder
Definitions
Definitions of Cephalic disorder
Patient Resources / Community
Patient resources on Cephalic disorder Discussion groups on Cephalic disorder Patient Handouts on Cephalic disorder Directions to Hospitals Treating Cephalic disorder Risk calculators and risk factors for Cephalic disorder
Healthcare Provider Resources
Symptoms of Cephalic disorder Causes & Risk Factors for Cephalic disorder Diagnostic studies for Cephalic disorder Treatment of Cephalic disorder
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
CME Programs on Cephalic disorder
International
Cephalic disorder en Espanol Cephalic disorder en Francais
Business
Cephalic disorder in the Marketplace Patents on Cephalic disorder
Experimental / Informatics
List of terms related to Cephalic disorder

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief:

Overview

Cephalic disorders (from the Greek word κεφάλη, meaning "head") are congenital conditions that stem from damage to, or abnormal development of, the budding nervous system. Cephalic is a term that means "head" or "head end of the body."

Classification

More common cephalic disorders

Where known, the ICD-10 code is listed below.

• Anencephaly (Q00.0)
• Colpocephaly (ICD10 unknown)
• Holoprosencephaly (Q04.2)
• Ethmocephaly (ICD10 unknown)
• Hydranencephaly (Q04.3)
• Iniencephaly (Q00.2)
• Lissencephaly (Q04.3)
• Megalencephaly (Q04.5)
• Microcephaly (Q02)
• Porencephaly (Q04.6)
• Schizencephaly (Q04.6)

Less common cephalies

• Acephaly (Q00.0)
• Exencephaly (ICD10 unknown)
• Macrocephaly (Q75.3)
• Micrencephaly (Q02)
• Otocephaly (Q18.2)
• Craniostenosis (ICD10 unknown)
  • Brachycephaly (ICD10 unknown)
  • Oxycephaly (Q75.0)
  • Plagiocephaly (Q67.3
  • Scaphocephaly (ICD10 unknown)
  • Trigonocephaly (Q75.0)

Pathophysiology

Cephalic disorders are not necessarily caused by a single factor, but may be influenced by hereditary or genetic conditions, nutritional deficiencies, or by environmental exposures during pregnancy, such as medication taken by the mother, maternal infection, or exposure to radiation (such disorders are more common in areas of the former Soviet Union affected by nuclear waste disposal problems, such as the area around the Mayak plant in Chelyabinsk, Russia.) Some cephalic disorders occur when the cranial sutures (the fibrous joints that connect the bones of the skull) join prematurely. Most cephalic disorders are caused by a disturbance that occurs very early in the development of the fetal nervous system.

The human nervous system develops from a small, specialized plate of cells on the surface of the embryo. Early in development, this plate of cells forms the neural tube, a narrow sheath that closes between the third and fourth weeks of pregnancy to form the brain and spinal cord of the embryo. Four main processes are responsible for the development of the nervous system: cell proliferation, the process in which nerve cells divide to form new generations of cells; cell migration, the process in which nerve cells move from their place of origin to the place where they will remain for life; cell differentiation, the process during which cells acquire individual characteristics; and cell death, a natural process in which cells die.

Damage to the developing nervous system is a major cause of chronic, disabling disorders and, sometimes, death in infants, children, and even adults. The degree to which damage to the developing nervous system harms the mind and body varies enormously. Many disabilities are mild enough to allow those afflicted to eventually function independently in society. Others are not. Some infants, children, and adults die, others remain totally disabled, and an even larger population is partially disabled, functioning well below normal capacity throughout life.

See also

• MOMO syndrome
• Positional plagiocephaly
• Polycephaly
• Encephalocele
• Cyclopia

External links

• Positional Plagiocephaly information from Seattle Children's Hospital Craniofacial Center
• Holoprosencephaly Article from Journal of Postgraduate Medicine

Sources

• Note 1: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cephalic_disorders/cephalic_disorders.htm

Portions of this article were based on the page: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cephalic_disorders/detail_cephalic_disorders.htm at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke's public domain resource.