Positional posterior plagiocephaly: a single-center review.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Craniofacial Development
• Neurology

Background:

• Positional posterior plagiocephaly (PPP) is a common condition in infants.
• Understanding its prevalence and severity across different age groups is crucial for clinical management.
• Previous studies have varied in their age stratification and assessment methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence and severity of positional posterior plagiocephaly (PPP) in a pediatric population.
• To analyze the age-related trends of PPP in children presenting to a tertiary care center.
• To categorize the severity of cranial vault asymmetry in different pediatric age strata.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 1429 pediatric patients (2 months to 18 years) with head trauma and negative CT scans.
• Calculation of cranial vault asymmetry index (CVAI) to quantify head shape.
• Stratification of patients into seven age groups to assess developmental changes.

Main Results:

• Overall PPP prevalence was 24.8%, with higher rates in younger children (groups 1-3: 40.4%, 33.5%, 0.8%).
• Prevalence decreased with age (groups 4-7: 26.4%, 20%, 20%, 10.8%).
• Mild asymmetry was most common (78.0%), followed by moderate (19.5%) and severe (2.5%); severe PPP was absent in older children (groups 6-7).

Conclusions:

• Positional posterior plagiocephaly is a prevalent condition in pediatric populations, typically presenting as mild asymmetry.
• While PPP prevalence declines with age, moderate asymmetry remains present across all pediatric age groups.
• Severe positional posterior plagiocephaly does not persist into adolescence.