The Correlation Between Infant Head Shape in Craniometric Studies and Psychomotor Development Disorders

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyze the correlation between muscle tone distribution disorders and asymmetry, with specific postnatal positional cranial deformities in infants. The study focused on assessing the level of unilateral occipital flattening and the extent of symmetrical occipital flattening. Methods: The study involved 60 infants aged between 1 and 5 months. Each infant was neurologically diagnosed and assigned to one of three groups: asymmetry, reduced muscle tone, or increased muscle tone. Each group consisted of 20 infants (10 girls and 10 boys). A MIMOS craniometer was used to measure the infants' head shapes, calculating the cranial vault asymmetry (mm) and cranial index (%). The data were analyzed and processed using Statistica software and appropriate statistical tests. Results: The results revealed a correlation between asymmetry and reduced muscle tone, increased muscle tone, and specific positional head deformities in infants up to the age of 5 months.

Keywords: brachycephaly; craniometric studies; head shape; infants; plagiocephaly; psychomotor development disorders.

Figure 1

Positional head deformities brachycephaly (A), plagiocephaly (B), (own source).

Figure 2

Method for measuring cranial asymmetry using a MIMOS company craniometer. The designated diagonals were the distances between the “+” mark on the right frontal bone and the “+” mark on the left occipital bone (measurement “A”) and the “+” mark on the left frontal bone and the “+” mark on the right occipital bone (measurement “B”).

Figure 3

Proportion Measurement Schema. The schematic illustrates the two distances measured: (1) the widest point of the head, taken with the craniometer parallel to the face (SD measurement, sinistra/dextra) and (2) the longest point of the head, taken with the craniometer perpendicular to the face (AP measurement, anterior/posterior).