The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery recently published a study by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), Atlanta, Georgia, showing that infants with deformational plagiocephaly significantly benefit from treatment using cranial remolding headbands. The study involved measuring the 3-D head shape of infants using a noninvasive laser scanner and analyzing the effects of treatment using cranial remolding orthoses. It concluded that 96 percent or more of the subjects in the treatment group showed significant improvement.
The study involved a total of 224 infants who were diagnosed by a pediatrician, neurosurgeon, or craniofacial plastic surgeon with moderate to severe deformational plagiocephaly. A total of 207 infants received orthotic treatment, while 17 families declined treatment, with their infants becoming controls for the study. Subjects in the treatment group received an initial laser scan of their head using the STARscannerTM system from Orthomerica Products Inc., based in Newport Beach, California, and were then fitted with a customized Orthomerica STARbandTM cranial remolding headband based upon the scan. Following the intake scan, each subject was followed for approximately four months, with interval scans obtained every two weeks for the duration of treatment.
In both the control group and the treatment group, independent tests studied 25 variables, including cranial shape measures as well as patient age and clinical classification. In the treatment group, at least 96.3 percent of the subjects improved in every statistically significant variable. The 17 babies with plagiocephaly that did not receive treatment only showed changes related to growth, and did not improve in symmetry or proportion. Thirty percent of the untreated group actually became worse.
Cranial remolding orthosis treatment significantly improved the infants' head shape and increased symmetry. According to the CHOA study, the STARscanner also was able to provide physicians and other staffwith consistent and clinically relevant data that can be used to follow shape progression, improvement, and study treatment and nontreatment interventions for the growing population of young infants with head shape asymmetry, noted Orthomerica.
For more information about the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, visit www.jcraniofacialsurgery.com
For more information about Orthomerica Products Inc., visit www.orthomerica.com
