Neonatal Craniofacial Program

Neonatal Craniofacial Program
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The Neonatal Craniofacial Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) offers specialized care to newborns with rare and complex craniofacial disorders and syndromes. Our team is a partnership between neonatologists (doctors who specialize in the care of newborns and infants) and pediatric plastic surgery experts. Our program is housed within CHOP’s world-class Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU). Because these programs feature world leaders in their fields, your newborn will receive the highest level of care.

We will provide a complete craniofacial and airway evaluation for your newborn and create a course forward for your child. We understand this is a challenging time for your family, and we will support you every step of the way.

Conditions we treat

We treat every type of craniofacial disorder and syndrome in newborns, including very rare conditions.

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A clinician holding a newborn baby with a facial deformity

Why choose the Neonatal Craniofacial Program

We have extensive experience treating infants with serious and often life-threatening craniofacial conditions. We offer services that other programs might not have. For example, we are often able to treat severe micrognathia (small lower jaw) in a way that eliminates the need for a tracheostomy. We also offer individualized comprehensive genetic evaluation.
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Meet your team

Every person on your child's team has the same goal: to give your newborn the best possible care. We provide expert medical care, emotional counseling and much more. We make sure your entire family gets the necessary support.
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Our locations

Get information about the neonatal craniofacial care we provide at our Philadelphia hospital. 

Our research

We are constantly striving to make research discoveries that lead to better treatment options for newborns with craniofacial conditions.

The Neonatal Craniofacial Program at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia offers expert diagnosis, treatment and follow-up for infants, children and teens with a variety of congenital, genetic and acquired malformations of the head, face and jaw. Here, Ashley holds her son Keelan, who was treated at CHOP for bilateral cleft lip and palate.

Crouzon syndrome - The Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP cares for children like Addison, a patient with Crouzon syndrome, as neonates and seamlessly transitions to our Craniofacial Program as children develop. Pictured is Addison at various stages of development.

Complicated Facial Cleft - In many cases, surgeons in the Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP can make a substantial difference in the quality of life for children with facial anomalies. Pictured is Davon, who was born with a complicated facial cleft.

Apert Syndrome - Born with Apert syndrome, Madison received treatment from the Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP.

Pfeiffer Syndrome - The Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP treats children with Pfeiffer syndrome, such as Monica, pictured here.

Strickler Syndrome - Early diagnosis and treatment is important to achieving optimal outcomes and correction of many craniofacial birth defects, such as Strickler syndrome, pictured here.
male baby with Treacher Collins syndrome

Treacher Collins Syndrome - Born with Treacher Collins syndrome, Logan received treatment from the Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP.

Hemifacial Microsomia - The Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP treats children with hemifacial microsomia, such as Willow, pictured here.

Meunke Syndrome - The optimal time for a baby's first craniofacial evaluation with the Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP is within the first few weeks of life. Born with Meunke syndrome, Noah received a thorough evaluation that allowed clinicians to develop a comprehensive care plan for him.

Saethre-Chotzen Syndrome - Born with Saethre-Chotzen syndrome, Madelyn received treatment from the Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP.

Orbital hypertelorism, where a child's eyes are set very far apart, is a symptom of a variety of congenital conditions. This condition, which can be seen on the X-ray here, may indicate Trisomy 18, duplication syndrome, Apert syndrome, Crouzon syndrome and numerous others. That's another reason to seek out clinical experts, such as the Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP, to accurately diagnose and treat your child.

Clover leaf skull anomaly - The Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP treats children with clover-leaf skull anomalies, such as the child photographed and scanned here.

Cutis Aplasia - Evaluation at the Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP includes imaging technologies such as X-rays and ultra-low dose CT angiograms with 3-D reconstruction. The 3-D imaging is invaluable in diagnosing some abnormalities that are difficult to capture with conventional imaging techniques.

Trigonocephaly - Born with Trigonocephaly, Ryan received care and treatment from the Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP.

Scaphocephaly - The Neonatal Craniofacial Program at CHOP treats children with Scaphocephaly. Above is a photo of a child with the disorder and an scan of the baby's skull.

Diagnosis and Treatment Resources

These video series provide information from clinicians and patient families on the diagnosis and treatment of craniofacial conditions that affect the face, skull, jaw and ears as well as cleft lip and palate, the most common congenital facial anomaly.

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