Clinical classification of infant nonsynostotic cranial deformity.
OBJECTIVE
Based on a pilot study including >400 children and a comprehensive database analysis of >2500 children, we sought to define the craniofacial norm and to objectify the categorization of positional head deformity.


METHODS
A database was created containing clinical information on children assessed for nonsynostotic cranial deformity. The findings of standardized anthropometric measurements were compared with data from a group of 401 healthy children with a normal head shape collected in terms of a prospective pilot study. Using a statistical analysis of all anthropometric craniofacial measurements, cut-off percentiles for discriminating different groups of deformation and severity classes were generated.


RESULTS
Normative percentiles for all dimensions in cranial vault anthropometric measurements during the first year of life were calculated. Children with definite nonsynostotic head deformity could be clearly allocated into 3 different groups: positional plagiocephaly (abnormal Cranial Vault Asymmetry Index), positional brachycephaly (abnormal Cranial Index), and combined positional plagiocephaly and brachycephaly (abnormal Cranial Vault Asymmetry Index and Cranial Index). Additionally, a reliable 3-level severity categorization (mild, moderate, and severe) for each group of cranial deformation could be obtained according to age and sex.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results allow a meaningful and reliable classification of nonsynostotic early childhood cranial deformity.
Department for Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Giessen, Giessen, Germany. jan-falco.wilbrand@uniklinikum-giessen.de
Jan-Falco
JF
Wilbrand
Kerstin
K
Schmidtberg
Uta
U
Bierther
Philipp
P
Streckbein
Joern
J
Pons-Kuehnemann
Petros
P
Christophis
Andreas
A
Hahn
Heidrun
H
Schaaf
Hans-Peter
HP
Howaldt
D017677:Age Distribution; D002508:Cephalometry; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009989:Orthotic Devices; D010865:Pilot Projects; D049068:Plagiocephaly, Nonsynostotic / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution