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Positional cranial deformities in preterm infants and their association with health indicators

Alexandra Mosca-Hayler1, Daniela López-Schmidt1, Igor Cigarroa2

  • 1Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.

Andes Pediatrica : Revista Chilena De Pediatria
|November 1, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Most preterm infants develop positional cranial deformities, primarily mild plagiocephaly. Prolonged hospitalization is linked to increased deformity severity, but the degree of prematurity is not.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Pediatric neurology
  • Craniofacial development

Background:

  • Prematurity increases the risk of positional cranial deformities due to infant skull malleability.
  • External pressures can easily deform the skulls of preterm infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe positional cranial deformities and associated pathologies in preterm infants.
  • To analyze the relationship between gestational age, birth weight, hospitalization duration, and cranial deformity severity using the Cranial Vault Asymmetry Index (CVAI) and Cephalic Index (CI).

Main Methods:

  • An analytic, cross-sectional study included 103 preterm infants under 4 months corrected age in an Early Intervention Program (EIP).
  • Infants were categorized by gestational age: extremely preterm (<28 weeks), very preterm (28-32 weeks), and moderate-to-late preterm (32-37 weeks).
  • Measurements included head circumference, diameters, diagonals, CVAI, CI, and review of peri/postnatal clinical records.

Main Results:

  • 96.1% of preterm infants had positional cranial deformity, most commonly mild plagiocephaly.
  • Cranial measurements were similar across prematurity groups.
  • A positive association was found between hospitalization duration and CVAI; no link between prematurity degree and deformity severity.

Conclusions:

  • Positional cranial deformities, mainly mild plagiocephaly, are highly prevalent in preterm infants in EIP, irrespective of prematurity degree.
  • Extended hospitalization correlates positively with plagiocephaly severity.
  • The degree of prematurity did not correlate with the severity of positional cranial deformity.

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