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Subjective perception of craniofacial growth asymmetries in patients with deformational plagiocephaly
Felix Kunz1, Matthias Hirth2, Tilmann Schweitzer3
1Department of Orthodontics, University Hospital Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, D-97070, Würzburg, Germany. kunz_f@ukw.de.
Insights
Different groups perceive infant head shape deformities differently. Specialists and parents rated asymmetries more severely than pediatricians, highlighting the need for consistent communication regarding deformational plagiocephaly (DP) in infants.
Area of Science:
- Craniofacial abnormalities
- Pediatric medicine
- Medical imaging
Background:
- Deformational plagiocephaly (DP) is a common condition in infants.
- Accurate assessment of DP severity is crucial for timely intervention.
- Subjective perception of cranial asymmetry can vary significantly among different observer groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate how different groups perceive infant cranial asymmetries.
- To compare subjective assessments with objective measurements of deformational plagiocephaly.
- To identify objective parameters that correlate with subjective perceptions of asymmetry.
Main Methods:
- 3D datasets of 10 infants with varying degrees of DP were analyzed.
- 203 observers (specialists, pediatricians, medical doctors, parents, laypersons) rated asymmetry using a Likert scale.
- Multilevel modeling and correlation analyses compared subjective ratings with objective parameters.
Main Results:
- Specialists and parents rated asymmetries similarly and more severely than pediatricians, medical doctors, or laypersons.
- Subjective perceptions of cranial asymmetry showed significant correlation with objective quantification parameters.
- Pediatricians' less severe perception may influence parental decisions on seeking treatment.
Conclusions:
- Observer group significantly impacts the perception of infant cranial asymmetry severity.
- Objective parameters can effectively correlate with subjective assessments of DP.
- Clinicians should be aware of these perceptual differences when counseling parents on deformational plagiocephaly.
Objectives:
The present investigation aimed to evaluate the subjective perception of deformational cranial asymmetries by different observer groups and to compare these subjective perceptions with objective parameters.
Materials And Methods:
The 3D datasets of ten infants with different severities of deformational plagiocephaly (DP) were presented to 203 observers, who had been subdivided into five different groups (specialists, pediatricians, medical doctors (not pediatricians), parents of infants with DP, and laypersons). The observers rated their subjective perception of the infants' cranial asymmetries using a 4-point Likert-type scale. The ratings from the observer groups were compared with one another using a multilevel modelling linear regression analysis and were correlated with four commonly used parameters to objectively quantify the cranial asymmetries.
Results:
No significant differences were found between the ratings of the specialists and those of the parents of infants with DP, but both groups provided significantly more asymmetric ratings than did pediatricians, medical doctors, or laypersons. Moreover, the subjective perception of cranial asymmetries correlated significantly with commonly used parameters for objectively quantifying cranial asymmetries.
Conclusions:
Our results demonstrate that different observer groups perceive the severity of cranial asymmetries differently. Pediatricians' more moderate perception of cranial asymmetries may reduce the likelihood of parents to seek therapeutic interventions for their infants. Moreover, we identified some objective symmetry-related parameters that correlated strongly with the observers' subjective perceptions.
Clinical Relevance:
Knowledge about these findings is important for clinicians when educating parents of infants with DP about the deformity.
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