Reduction of head flattening in preterm infants.
Twins born after 30 weeks gestation were studied. One twin was reared with a water pillow for head support for 36 days and retained a more rounded head shape, comparable to the normal configuration at birth. The other twin had standard neonatal care and developed the scaphocephalic head typical of most ex-preterm infants. It is suggested that water pillows constitute a simple method of reducing skull deformation in preterm infants.
D001513:Beds; D002508:Cephalometry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D011247:Pregnancy; D012886:Skull / Q000254:growth & development*; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic