It is an asymmetrical, unilateral deformation of the skull caused by the maintenance of a position that has “compressed” it for a long time. Let’s discover the causes of this anomaly and how it takes care
It may happen to pay attention to the naked eye, or to the touch, while we caress the baby: there head of the newborn is flat on the one handone side alone, it is as if it were crushed, and the child tends to sleep and rest always resting on that side. The effect is a bit that of a deflated ball that flattens when it touches the floor and cannot roll. Here, so the plagiocephalywhich is nothing more than an anomalous conformation of the newborn head.
The word comes from the Greek plagios (πλάγιος), or “oblique”And chefale (κεφαtent), that is to say “head”.
What is plagiocephaly?
There more frequent form of Plagiocephaly, or “flat head of the newborn”it is the “positional” one, an asymmetrical, unilateral deformation of the skull caused by the maintenance of a position that has “compressed” it for a long time (it can happen both inside the uterus and after childbirth) and which more often involves the portion rear or side of the head.
THE signals of plagiocephaly In addition to the deformity of the head, they concern the secondary alteration of other parts of the skull. Simplifying, among the characteristics from the flap of newborn There is the fact that, being “crooked”, other parts of the garment will also be aligned: one of the eyes, looking at it from above, can be positioned later than the other; The jaw can be asymmetrical; One of the cheeks is more prominent (rounded) than the other.
Why does this happen? At the base of the flat head of the newborn there are many causes.
What are the causes of the flat head of the newborn?
THE’incidence from the flap of newbornif positioned, depends on age, with a peak within the first 6 months of life and a tendency to decrease up to 2 years. The prevalence in Europe is 37.8% in term births and infants without previous pathologies at 8-12 weeks of life.
Clarify the size of the phenomenon, let’s try to understand what are the reasons from the flap of newborn. The factors that influence are different, like the pieces of a puzzle that contribute to various extent to the origin of the problem.
The main ones causes Of plagiocephaly positional can already be framed before birth, or they can take over during or after childbirth. We can divide them into three groups:
Factors that intervene during intrauterine life
Before the birth is of enormous weight there Position taken by the baby in uteruswhich contributes to shaping the cranial vault before the child is born. However, it should not also forget particular conditions such as the presence of a lower amount of amniotic liquidor the substance in which the fetus is immersed in the amniotic sac. If this liquid is reduced, the space available to the child and the natural cushioning bearing in which he floats.
The children born from twin pregnancy They are more exposed, because the presence of two or more fetuses inside the belly reduces the space for each child and consequently increases the possibility of taking positions that push their heads against a hard point that crushes it.
Childbirth factors
As we have seen, already in the uterus the baby can be “compressed” in a position that crushes and model the head, but also during the birth some events can determine a plagiocephaly.
The children born from the first birthfor example, are more at risk because often the birth labor is longer and more difficult.
Also a Distocic birthwith the use of tools, can contribute to the modeling of the cranial vault which, must be remembered, in the neonatal era it is still plastic (think of the application of the fork on the head for the extraction). Born from twin pregnancy, in addition to the “space” factor described above, are more often encountered by plagiocephaly also due to the human -down risk of dysetocical delivery, with the use of tools.
Factors that intervene after childbirth
After childbirth, the aspect that most can cause the appearance of plagiocephaly is the maintenance of the head in a position always oriented on the one hand. Many elements can influence this aspect. There prematurityfor example. Babies that come to the world before the desirable term are more exposed to positional plagiocephaly. First of all, because their head is more plastic and modelable than that of the child -born children, then because they are more time stopped, as they present a minor muscle tone. They need more time to move (probably, the extra amount of time that they would have passed to rest in the belly if they were born “term”) and therefore tend to keep their static position more.
Also the myogenic torchalbeit not very frequent, influences plagiocephaly at this stage. It is an anomalous contracture, congenital or acquired, of a muscle called sternocleidomastoid, which is placed laterally in the neck and, if contracted, makes it tilt. Having myogenic torching, although in most cases it resolves spontaneously and without leaving a trace, involves the fact that the child cannot turn his head on the one hand until the problem disappears. Staying with your head always supported on one side only, these children are more subjects than others to the development of positional plagiocephaly.
Finally, also the supine location (belly up), although a life -saving practice remains with regard to the sleep of the newborn since it reduces the risk of SIDS (death in the cot), is associated with a statistical increase in cases of positional plagifootball.
Cure and prevent plagiocephaly
Put a diagnosis through clinical evaluation of the child (a visit from the pediatrician is enough), one can think about the management of the problem. But How yes He takes care of the flat head of the newborn? Depending on the child and the extent of the plagiocephaly, a specific treatment will be proposed by the doctor.
First of all, timing is important. The newborn skull is plastic and acting in time allows you to implement a kinder and more natural approach. In general, if the child presents the positional form it will be possible to carry out “conservative” treatment. Practical advice for prevent plagiocephaly They are the same that are used to treat it.
Very important is the change frequent position. The newborn with plagiocephaly prefers to direct the boss on the side where asymmetry is present, determining a worsening: it is essential to change its position often or resort to the practice of tummy time (We talk about it in this article).
If the tummy time is not sufficient, one can think of physiotherapy, especially in cases where plagiocephaly is associated with myogenic stimulhes.
If after 4 months of life plagiocephaly has not resolved or has not improved, some studies support more targeted personalized treatments, such as the use of a “helmet” created to measure with a thermoplastic material that helps the remodeling of the skull of the Baby by compensating for the typical asymmetry of plagiocephaly (it must be said that it is still rare that this tool should be used). In conclusion, there are gods risks associated with flat head of the newborn? Even if positional plagiocephaly represents a benign condition (it is not associated, that is, to other pathologies), if not adequately treated it can lead to not only aesthetic consequences (the deformation of the head) but also on functions such as chewing or movement (given , the latter, however still debated).
