Comparing Caliper versus Computed Tomography Measurements of Cranial Dimensions in Children

Effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment on children with plagiocephaly in the context of current pediatric practice: a retrospective chart review study

CONTEXT

Deformational plagiocephaly (DP) is on the rise in pediatric patients. The current standard of care recommended for management is repositioning with possible addition of cranial orthoses. However, strong data are lacking to support these recommendations. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is another treatment option for DP that is also lacking evidential support.

OBJECTIVES

This retrospective chart review study investigated the effects of OMT at restoring a more symmetrical cranial bone configuration in children with DP.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review was performed on medical records of patients with a diagnosis of DP from three private practices over a 4-year period from September 2017 to December 2021. Inclusion criteria were diagnoses of DP by a referring physician and aged 10 months or less at the time of initial evaluation and treatment. Patients were excluded if they had confounding diagnoses such as genetic syndromes or severe torticollis. A total of 26 patients met these criteria, and their records were reviewed. The main outcome reviewed was anthropometric assessment of the cranium, mainly the cranial vault asymmetry index (CVAI).

RESULTS

Participants demonstrated a mean CVAI - a measure that determines the severity of DP - of 6.809 (±3.335) (Grade 3 severity) at baseline, in contrast to 3.834 (±2.842) (Grade 2 severity) after a series of OMT treatments. CVAI assessment after OMT reveals statistically significant (p≤0.001) decreases in measurements of skull asymmetry and occipital flattening. No adverse events were reported throughout the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

The application of OMT has shown potential benefit for reducing cranial deformity in patients with DP.

Parental Education for the Prevention of Plagiocephaly

INTRODUCTION

The American Academy of Pediatrics Back-to-Sleep Campaign significantly reduced infant mortality from sudden infant death syndrome. As a result of prolonged supine positioning, the incidence of deformational plagiocephaly has also risen 5-fold since its adoption. We aimed to improve the current educational paradigm for new parents with the goal of reducing the incidence of plagiocephaly within the confines of the Back-to-Sleep Campaign. We hypothesized that the early addition of plagiocephaly focused education for parents would reduce cephalic index, the ratio of head width to length, used as an easily measured objective proxy for positional plagiocephaly.

METHODS

Children were screened at their newborn visit. Premature newborns and those diagnosed with craniofacial disorders were excluded. For those enrolled, biparietal and anteroposterior measurements of the head were obtained using manual calipers to obtain cephalic index. Subjects randomly assigned to the intervention group were shown a 2-minute video and given an educational pamphlet on methods to prevent plagiocephaly. Unpaired 2-sample t tests comparing mean differences in intervention and control were performed.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine subjects were enrolled as of November 2023 with variable lengths of follow-up completed. The average baseline cephalic index for subjects in the control group was 82.7 and 83.8 for intervention group. Unpaired 2-sample t tests were performed at 2-, 4-, and 6-month time points to analyze the difference between groups. At 4 months, average cephalic index for subjects in the control and treatment group, respectively, was 90.6 and 83.4 (P = 0.02).

SIGNIFICANCE

Parental education at the newborn visit led to decreases in cephalic index, a proxy for positional plagiocephaly, compared with control patients. This simple intervention has the potential to reduce parental stress and healthcare costs associated with the evaluation and treatment of plagiocephaly.

Novel Screening and Monitoring Techniques for Deformational Plagiocephaly: A Systematic Review

This article summarizes the current state of diagnostic modalities for infant craniofacial deformities and highlights capable diagnostic tools available currently to pediatricians.

Cephalic Index of Korean Children With Normal Brain Development During the First 7 Years of Life Based on Computed Tomography

Objective

To identify the normal range, distribution, and age-dependent differences in the cephalic index (CI) of Korean children with normal brain development and develop a classification of the current CI for Korean children up to 7 years of age.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 1,389 children who visited our hospital in the emergency room between October 2015 and September 2020 because of suspected head injuries. Finally, 1,248 children (741 male and 507 female) were enrolled after excluding abnormal medical or familial history and divided into 10 groups by age. The CI was measured using brain computed tomography and calculated according to the following equation: cephalic width/cephalic length×100.

Results

The averages of CI by age groups were as follows: 89.29 (0–3 months group, n=44); 91.41 (4–6 months group, n=63); 89.68 (7–9 months group, n=62); 87.52 (10–12 months group, n=41); 87.64 (≥2 years group, n=243); 86.63 (≥3 years group, n=178); 85.62 (≥4 years group, n=232); 85.77 (≥5 years group, n=201); 85.15 (≥6 years group, n=75); and 85.34 (≥7 years group, n=109). The CI of Korean children in normal brain development was confirmed to be large, showing a notable difference compared to that of Caucasians.

Conclusion

The current CI of Korean children will provide a valuable reference for diagnosing and treating cranial deformities, especially dolichocephaly and brachycephaly as well as to monitor the morphology of the cranium in clinics.