Your precious little bundle of joy has been growing and exploring the world with wonder for weeks, but you've noticed something different; something disconcerting.
The shape of your child's head is different from most of the other babies you have seen.
Your first thoughts are most likely about how other children will react, if the difference is noticeable to anyone else, how it will affect your child's development, and if the odd shape is permanent.
In this article, we will discuss ways that you or your physician can assess the normalcy of your child's head shape, and how you can know what is considered within the normal range and what isn't.
Many cranial deformities may resolve on their own with time, so don't worry - even if your little one has a funny shaped head at the moment - it is most likely not permanent, and if it is moderate to severe, there are ways you can treat it while your baby is still very young.
Doctors and other medical professionals assess your child's head shape using a series of measurements that determine his or her cranial index.
There are a wide range of values that are considered normal.
Just think, infants' skulls are constantly growing and changing, and even as adults, there are many different head shapes that we can see all around us.
Sometimes the process of growth itself may result in a different appearance, but may still fall within normal and acceptable measures.
If you believe your child's skull is abnormally shaped, ask his or her primary care physician to examine your baby's head shape.
There are many devices currently in use to obtain cranial index and cranial cavity measurements.
Additionally, many more are being tested for use.
There are laser devices, handheld instruments, and in some cases MRIs or CT scans may even be used.
Additionally, severe cranial deformities are often noticeable to the naked eye.
At present, handheld tools called craniometers are the primary tools used, and as a result there is some question as to how accurate measurements may be.
Laser measurements are employed by large orthotic companies, but are still being evaluated for reliability and accuracy.
To date, the medical community has failed to come to consensus as to what a normal cephalic index (ratio) is; over ten different measurements have been proposed since 1979.
This is problematic for the diagnosis of brachycephaly and scaphocephaly, in particular.
These two conditions are often evaluated using cranial index measurements.
If laser devices are found to be effective and reliable for cephalic index measurements, it may become easier to notice and treat these conditions before they have a chance to progress to moderate or severe levels.
While there is no real consensus as to the cephalic ratio (index) measurement which marks the presence of a cephalic disorder, specific measurements obtained with a craniometer can be used to determine the existence of plagiocephaly.
For example, by measuring two perpendicular lines that run front to back on your child's skull, a doctor or other trained medical professional may be able to confirm or refute the diagnosis of plagiocephaly.
Plagiocephalic skulls generally differ from normal skulls by several millimeters.
For example, mild plagiocephaly is noted by a difference of up to 9mm, moderate plagiocephaly exhibits a 10-19mm difference, and severe plagiocephaly is diagnosed when a child has 20mm or greater spread.
All this talk of normal skull shapes is interesting, but keep in mind that familial differences in head shape may also play a role in helping medical professionals determine if your child's skull is properly shaped.
If you or your partner have a more rounded, elongated, square, or triangular head, your child may appear to have a cranial deformity, but are most likely perfectly normal.
The shape of your child's head is different from most of the other babies you have seen.
Your first thoughts are most likely about how other children will react, if the difference is noticeable to anyone else, how it will affect your child's development, and if the odd shape is permanent.
In this article, we will discuss ways that you or your physician can assess the normalcy of your child's head shape, and how you can know what is considered within the normal range and what isn't.
Many cranial deformities may resolve on their own with time, so don't worry - even if your little one has a funny shaped head at the moment - it is most likely not permanent, and if it is moderate to severe, there are ways you can treat it while your baby is still very young.
Doctors and other medical professionals assess your child's head shape using a series of measurements that determine his or her cranial index.
There are a wide range of values that are considered normal.
Just think, infants' skulls are constantly growing and changing, and even as adults, there are many different head shapes that we can see all around us.
Sometimes the process of growth itself may result in a different appearance, but may still fall within normal and acceptable measures.
If you believe your child's skull is abnormally shaped, ask his or her primary care physician to examine your baby's head shape.
There are many devices currently in use to obtain cranial index and cranial cavity measurements.
Additionally, many more are being tested for use.
There are laser devices, handheld instruments, and in some cases MRIs or CT scans may even be used.
Additionally, severe cranial deformities are often noticeable to the naked eye.
At present, handheld tools called craniometers are the primary tools used, and as a result there is some question as to how accurate measurements may be.
Laser measurements are employed by large orthotic companies, but are still being evaluated for reliability and accuracy.
To date, the medical community has failed to come to consensus as to what a normal cephalic index (ratio) is; over ten different measurements have been proposed since 1979.
This is problematic for the diagnosis of brachycephaly and scaphocephaly, in particular.
These two conditions are often evaluated using cranial index measurements.
If laser devices are found to be effective and reliable for cephalic index measurements, it may become easier to notice and treat these conditions before they have a chance to progress to moderate or severe levels.
While there is no real consensus as to the cephalic ratio (index) measurement which marks the presence of a cephalic disorder, specific measurements obtained with a craniometer can be used to determine the existence of plagiocephaly.
For example, by measuring two perpendicular lines that run front to back on your child's skull, a doctor or other trained medical professional may be able to confirm or refute the diagnosis of plagiocephaly.
Plagiocephalic skulls generally differ from normal skulls by several millimeters.
For example, mild plagiocephaly is noted by a difference of up to 9mm, moderate plagiocephaly exhibits a 10-19mm difference, and severe plagiocephaly is diagnosed when a child has 20mm or greater spread.
All this talk of normal skull shapes is interesting, but keep in mind that familial differences in head shape may also play a role in helping medical professionals determine if your child's skull is properly shaped.
If you or your partner have a more rounded, elongated, square, or triangular head, your child may appear to have a cranial deformity, but are most likely perfectly normal.
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