Plagiocephaly, Collin's Plagio Page

From as early as a few weeks old, we noticed that Collin liked to favor lying or resting on his right side. The same held true in the crib, as he always was lying on his right.

We started to get concerned when we noticed that he would only turn his head to that same right side, even if there was something distract him on the left. He would (literally) twist his head to the right all the way, stretching and trying to look to the left from the back (instead of just looking to the left normally, around the front).

When we saw that his right side was getting really flat we brought it to the pediatrician's attention beginning at the 8 week appointment, only to hear, "it will round out on its own".

Still concerned at the 4 month appointment, the doctor we saw on this day did say something. She noticed the flattening and head-tilt to the right, and immediately referred Collin to a pediatric neurosurgeon to rule out torticollis. (Torticollis is a condition where the muscle in the neck is tightened causing a loss of range of motion, and head tilt to one side; correctible by physical therapy.)

Torticollis was ruled out by the neursurgeon, but we still had the head flattening (positional plagiocephaly) to contend with. The flatness on his right side was causing severe assymetry of his ears, one eye appearing larger than the other, bossing or protruding forehead and not to mention ear infection after ear infection. Babies with plagio are more prone to ear infections because fluid has difficulty draining due to the assymetry of the tubes in the ears.

The good thing is, it was addressed early for Collin while the fontanels are still pliable. After some aggressive "repositioning" attempts for a few months that did not work, it was decided that Collin would need to be treated with a DOC (Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty) Band. We hate to call it a "helmet" because the new band is far less intrusive than the older helmets and they are open at the top and only weigh about 6 oz.. See examples of the band to the right.

The company who developed this band, Cranial Technologies, only has about 18 locations nationwide.

We are fortunate that their only New Jersey location is located just 20 minutes from our home.

Collin's casting went off without a hitch on April 16, 2003 and his band is expected to be ready by April 30!

Check the Progress and Photos Links for periodic updates!

The DOC Band is most effective during the first twelve months of life. After a plaster of Paris impression is made of the child's head, the Band is made using a semi-rigid outer shell bonded to a foam lining. The 6-oz. band applies mild pressures to the infant's head and redirects growth.

The band is worn 23 hours a day, with one hour off to clean the band and bathe. The skull growth is checked weekly (which is why we are lucky to live so close to Cranial Technologies!) and the correction of the deformity is evaluated. The band's inner-lining is then adjusted as the treatment progresses.

Last Updated: September 27, 2005

Positional plagiocephaly is a term used to describe the development of an abnormal head shape in infants, often resulting in external forces applied to the soft infant skull.

Plagiocephaly literally means, "oblique head" (from Greek, plagio = oblique and cephale = head). It is called a "parallelogram" deformity because if you look down on an infant's head from above, this is the shape you would normally see. From this angle it looks as if half of the head has been pushed forward, often accompanied by misallignment of the ears, facial assymetry and bulging forehead.

This page is dedicated to the treatment and progress of Collin's plagiocephaly. His treatment is scheduled to begin around April 30, 2003 when he will be picking up his custom-made DOC band

Since his plagio has been diagnosed as "mildly severe" and his treatment begins at an optimal time (7 months old), it is estimated that he will only have to wear the band for 11-12 weeks, or 4-5 months at the most.

From "casting day" to the final measurements and check-ups, we will keep everyone updated with Collin's progress and final "graduation" out of the DOC Band.

Update! Collin graduated in August 2003 - be sure to check out his graduation page and headsicle page!

Web Graphics
Courtesy of:

Cranial Technologies, Inc.

Plagiocephaly & Craniosynostosis support

Info on the prevention of plagiocephaly

Info on the correction of abnormal head shape

Yahoo! Parental support group for Parents of Children with Plagiocephaly

rhondareev@yahoo.com

Copyright

Cranial Technologies, Inc.

Used with Permission

Copyright

Cranial Technologies, Inc.

Used with Permission

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BRACHYCEPHALY
Brachycephaly occurs when an infant lies flat on the back of their head. The head flattens uniformly, causing a wider, shorter head. Often the head appears higher in the back. Brachycephaly can also be associated with facial assymetry. (Some causes include extended time in a car seat, swing, carrier, or 'bouncy seat'. (See Fig. 1)

SCAPHOCEPHALY
Scaphocephaly is a description for a long and narrow head. Premature infants who are hospitalized for an extended period often develop this head shape. (See Fig. 2)

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Click for larger view

Tummy time, tummy time, tummy time!
As Collin's parents,we cannot stress the importance of supervised tummy time while your infant is awake. Placing your infant on their tummy for a few minutes each day, gradually increasing the time, will strengthen your infant's neck and decrease the chances of flattening. You could also get in the habit of burping them over your lap, on their stomachs. They will not like being on their tummies at all (at first), but make a game out of it and soon they will begin to like their new "view". Admittedly, Collin did not have much tummy time at all.

Avoid Prolonged Usage of Car Seats / Bouncy Seats / Swings!
Yes, I know this is hard! Limit the amount of time your child is in these things throughout the day. Use a Baby Bjorn or similar carrier instead of carrying them in their car seat/carriers. This will also help them to gain muscle control of their necks

Alternate Sleeping Position in Crib!
Encourage your child to rotate his/her head in both directions towards the center of the room by alternating his/her position in the crib (ie. one night his head is on the left end of the crib, the next night, on the right end.)

If You Notice Any "Favoring" To One Side - Bring it to Your Dr.'s Attention!
This is very important. Favoring of one side could indicate a muscular problem in the neck (torticollis) and should be ruled out by your pediatrician. If ignored, could lead to severe plagiocephaly, as in Collin's case. Get a second opinion and a referral to a specialist if necessary.