Tanaka Yukari, Miyabayashi Hiroshi, Nagano Nobuhiko, Kubota Yuri, Mukai Chihiro, Nakanomori Aya, Hara Koichiro, Saito Katsuya, Kato Risa, Morioka Ichiro
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Pediatrics, Kasukabe Medical Center, Saitama, Japan.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Jul 18;104(29):e43473. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000043473.
This study aimed to investigate whether cranial shape measurements obtained immediately after birth can be used to determine the timeline and mechanisms underlying the development and progression of cranial deformities in healthy infants. This study examined the cranial geometry of normal newborns immediately after birth at Nihon University Itabashi Hospital and Kasukabe Medical Center. Measurements were obtained using stereophotogrammetry and 3-dimensional cranial data were analyzed using image analysis software. According to international criteria, positional deformational plagiocephaly (PDP) was identified at a cranial vault asymmetry index >3.5%, whereas positional brachycephaly was identified at a cephalic index ≥81%. These data were compared with those from a previously reported database of 1-month-old infants. A total of 130 newborns with a mean gestational age of 39 weeks, a mean birth weight of 3075 g, a mean head circumference of 33.5 cm, and a male sex ratio of 48.5% were included. The mean age at measurement was 3.3 days. The prevalence of PDP and positional brachycephaly was 19.2% and 86.2%, respectively. No notable differences in the background characteristics were observed between the PDP and non-PDP groups. The mean cephalic index was significantly lower in breech fetuses (P = .015), with no significant differences between the delivery methods. The symmetry-related parameters of cranial deformities were more pronounced at 1 month than at birth, with a substantially higher median cranial vault asymmetry index of 4.9% and 2.1%, respectively (P < .01). The prevalence of PDP increased significantly from 19.2% at birth to 66.1% at 1 month of age. Our findings suggest that cranial deformities become more pronounced within the first month after birth. Prevention at an early stage will be the focus of future research.
本研究旨在调查出生后立即获得的颅骨形状测量值是否可用于确定健康婴儿颅骨畸形发展和进展的时间线及潜在机制。本研究在日本大学板桥医院和春日部医疗中心对正常新生儿出生后立即进行了颅骨几何形状检查。使用立体摄影测量法进行测量，并使用图像分析软件对三维颅骨数据进行分析。根据国际标准，当颅顶不对称指数>3.5%时确定为体位性斜头畸形（PDP），当头指数≥81%时确定为体位性短头畸形。将这些数据与先前报道的1月龄婴儿数据库中的数据进行比较。共纳入130例新生儿，平均胎龄39周，平均出生体重3075g，平均头围33.5cm，男性比例为48.5%。测量时的平均年龄为3.3天。PDP和体位性短头畸形的患病率分别为19.2%和86.2%。PDP组和非PDP组在背景特征方面未观察到显著差异。臀位胎儿的平均头指数显著较低（P = 0.015），分娩方式之间无显著差异。颅骨畸形的对称性相关参数在1个月时比出生时更明显，颅顶不对称指数中位数分别显著更高，为4.9%和2.1%（P < 0.01）。PDP的患病率从出生时的19.2%显著增加到1月龄时的66.1%。我们的研究结果表明，颅骨畸形在出生后的第一个月内会变得更加明显。早期预防将是未来研究的重点。
