Outcome Measures in the Clinic

The incidence of positional skull deformities, such as positional plagiocephaly and brachycephaly, has increased since the initiation of the Back To Sleep Campaign in 1994 to prevent sudden infant death syndrome. These cranial asymmetries can result from intrauterine constraints or extrauterine deformation. They can be perpetuated by postnatal sleeping position and exacerbated by concurrent torticollis or other neuromuscular conditions.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) developed the plagiocephaly severity scale and cephalic index ratio to categorize the varying degree of cranial asymmetries and guide clinicians in making an appropriate treatment recommendation. Custom Orthotics of London Inc. obtains cranial measurements and 3-dimensional images before, during and after your child’s treatment to compare with CHOA norms, monitor progress and show treatment efficacy. All our patients show 100% improvement with final symmetry measurements within the CHOA’s “normal limits”. What differs among these results is the treatment length and the age at treatment initiation.

Our data suggests, children who start helmet treatment around 4-5 months of age have reduced treatment lengths. Extending on these findings, we are looking at how other factors postnatally and during the first few months of a child’s life influences severity scores and length of treatment.