Sagital Decisions

The human skull is made from several interlocking plates, which knit together when the head is done growing. Sometimes, the top two plates knit together prematurely, which causes the skull to distort as it grows, a significant problem for the young children affected. This can be corrected with orthopedic and plastic surgery, but the procedure is complex and requires specialized training.

Craniofacial surgeons at Boston Children’s Hospital needed simulated examples of children’s heads with this condition, to add to their anatomy education for residents and fellows training there. They contacted Immersive Design Systems (IDS) the hospitals simulation-based training group, and they hired me to build these simulations. During the project, I worked with the doctor-instructor who described the condition and showed me real examples.