Re: From a medical encylopedia

[Guest guest]

Thanks Lorraine! That's a pretty good definition

Debbie Abby's mom

> Encyclopedia Index H head, flat (plagiocephaly) | Search

>

> head, flat (plagiocephaly)

> The head of a young infant that appears flattened in one area can

> have one of several causes:

> Flattening of the head behind the ear due to habitual right-side

> sleeping or sleeping on the back (supine) with the head always

toward

> the same end of the crib (plagiocephaly - pla-gee-o-SEF-a-lee).

This

> is cured by alternating the baby from night to night - head to the

> right, head to the left, head to the right, etc.

> Flattening purely on the back of the head is also usually

positional -

> the child who lies in the crib or playpen all day

> Other elongations or deformation of the head shape could be

> synostosis (sin-os-toe-sis) which is abnormal, premature growing

> together of the normally separate plates of the skull in an infant.

> This should be checked by your doctor and possibly a specialist.

> Plagiocephaly or flat head can also be a sign of torticollis,

> especially if the signs include include not only a flattened back

of

> the head but a more prominent forehead, a flattened ear on the

> affected side, asymmetry of the jaw with an upward slant on the

same

> side as the torticollis, and facial asymmetry, with one cheek

> appearing fuller than the other.

> The use of helmets to correct or prevent simple positional

> plagiocephaly in babies caused by back sleeping is not supported by

> controlled medical studies, to my knowledge. I personally have not

> seen any permanent problem cases arise in the years since adoption

of

> the " Back to Sleep " program in my practice, which is a busy one.

The

> babies seem to grow out of the mild head asymmetry without any help

> from medical science. Severe cases (usually due to other conditions

> such as torticollis) can be effectively treated with helmet

> remodelling devices - one has recently been approved by the FDA for

> use in infants.

>

> Again, attention to sleep positioning - let the baby sleep half the

> nights with the head one way, half the nights the other way - until

> the child is mobile in the crib and rolling around, is sufficient

to

> prevent any significant or lasting skull asymmetry. I certainly

would

> not recommend any sort of parent-prescribed treatment without the

> evaluation of a pediatric neurosurgeon, and recommend that parents

> not be swayed by Internet sales pitches for such devices just

because

> there is minor flattening of the head in an infant. This is

something

> that your pediatrician and pediatric neurosurgeon should decide

> Lorraine