 |
Brachycephalic
Head Shape |
| |
|
|
Deformational brachycephaly is present when the entire back of the baby’s head is flat (central flattening) and the head is very wide. The forehead is often bossed or prominent on both sides, and the height of the head is excessively high. In our experience, deformational brachycephaly without asymmetry accounts for about 1 in 10 of the children referred for treatment. Often babies with this problem have a history of excessive time in carriers, possibly due to gastric reflux or other medical condition or circumstance that does not allow the baby to be placed on the tummy during daytime hours while awake and supervised.
|
|
|
Scaphocephalic
Head Shape |
|
Deformational scaphocephaly is characterized by a long and narrow head shape, sometimes caused by consistent positioning of the baby on its side. Like brachycephaly, scaphocephaly is a deformity of proportion. Premature babies are particularly prone to this deformity since their skulls are so fragile, and a side-lying position is often used in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for easy access to monitors and other equipment. |
|