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Cranial index of children with normal and abnormal brain development in Sokoto, Nigeria: A comparative study
Muhammad Awwal Musa1, Abdullahi Daudu Zagga1, Mohammed Danfulani2
1Department of Anatomy, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria.
Insights
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) in children do not significantly alter the cranial index. This study found no statistical difference in head shape measurements between children with and without NDD.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Craniofacial Biology
Background:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) in children represent a significant public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria.
- Abnormal brain development associated with NDDs requires further investigation into potential physical indicators.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if neurodevelopmental disorders cause deviations in the cranial index of affected children.
- To establish a potential correlation between abnormal brain development and cranial measurements.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 112 children with diagnosed NDDs and 218 typically developing children aged 0-18 years.
- Measurement of head length and head width using standard anatomical landmarks to calculate the cranial index.
- Statistical analysis of collected data using SPSS version 17.
Main Results:
- The mean Cephalic Index for children with normal brain development was 79.82 ± 3.35.
- The mean Cephalic Index for children with abnormal brain development (NDD) was 77.78 ± 2.95.
- The difference in cranial index between the two groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).
Conclusions:
- The cranial index remains unchanged in children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders.
- This finding suggests that head shape, as measured by cranial index, is not a distinguishing feature for NDDs in the studied pediatric population.
Background:
Abnormal brain development due to neurodevelopmental disorders in children has always been an important concern, but yet has to be considered as a significant public health problem, especially in the low- and middle-income countries including Nigeria.
Aims:
The aim of this study is to determine whether abnormal brain development in the form of neurodevelopmental disorders causes any deviation in the cranial index of affected children.
Materials And Methods:
This is a comparative study on the head length, head width, and cranial index of 112 children (72 males and 40 females) diagnosed with at least one abnormal problem in brain development, in the form of a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD), in comparison with that of 218 normal growing children without any form of NDD (121 males and 97 females), aged 0-18 years old seen at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, over a period of six months, June to December, 2012. The head length and head width of the children was measured using standard anatomical landmarks and cranial index calculated. The data obtained was entered into the Microsoft excel worksheet and analyzed using SPSS version 17.
Results:
The mean Cephalic Index for normal growing children with normal brain development was 79.82 ± 3.35 and that of the children with abnormal brain development was 77.78 ± 2.95 and the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
It can be deduced from this present study that the cranial index does not change in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
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