Stereophotogrammetric head shape assessment in neonates is feasible and can identify distinct differences between term-born and very preterm infants at term equivalent age

Petra Santander,Anja Quast,Johanna Hubbert,Sebastian Horn,Philipp Meyer-Marcotty,Kai O Hensel,Laura Juenemann,Jana-Katharina Dieks

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-00680-1

Petra Santander, Anja Quast + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00680-1

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Abstract

The development of head shape and volume may reflect neurodevelopmental outcome and therefore is of paramount importance in neonatal care. Here, we compare head morphology in 25 very preterm infants with a birth weight of below 1500 g and / or a gestational age (GA) before 32 completed weeks to 25 term infants with a GA of 37–42 weeks at term equivalent age (TEA) and identify possible risk factors for non-synostotic head shape deformities. For three-dimensional head assessments, a portable stereophotogrammetric device was used. The most common and distinct head shape deformity in preterm infants was dolichocephaly. Severity of dolichocephaly correlated with GA and body weight at TEA but not with other factors such as neonatal morbidity, sex or total duration of respiratory support. Head circumference (HC) and cranial volume (CV) were not significantly different between the preterm and term infant group. Digitally measured HC and the CV significantly correlated even in infants with head shape deformities. Our study shows that stereophotogrammetric head assessment is feasible in all preterm and term infants and provides valuable information on volumetry and comprehensive head shape characteristics. In a small sample of preterm infants, body weight at TEA was identified as a specific risk factor for the development of dolichocephaly.

Highlights

The development of head shape and volume may reflect neurodevelopmental outcome and is of paramount importance in neonatal care
Head circumference (HC) has been established as a marker reflecting brain development[1], which has been utilized as a clinical endpoint in contemporary trials investigating nutritional support in very preterm infants[2]
We recently reported the feasibility of a portable and non-invasive stereophotogrammetric head shape assessment device in preterm infants that serves as a translation of this imaging technology from orthodontics into neonatal c are[15]

Summary

Introduction

The development of head shape and volume may reflect neurodevelopmental outcome and is of paramount importance in neonatal care. Symmetry of a head’s morphology is presumably a more comprehensive measure reflecting head development during early life Both symmetrical and asymmetrical non-synostotic head shape deformities do represent a cosmetic problem but may cause functional impairment such as developmental delay[3]. For deformational plagiocephaly and brachycephaly for example, an—not necessarily causal—association between the degree of deformity and poorer neurocognitive performance has been shown This suggests that assessment of head shape deformity may help to identify children at risk for developmental d elay[3]. Preterm infants have been shown to feature a particular risk for the development of microcephaly[9] and head shape deformities during the first weeks of life[10,11] and infancy[12] These findings have been associated with an impaired neurodevelopmental outcome[13]

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