Re: Newbie and success with older babies?

[Guest guest]

As I have been working on my appeal all day today, I came across some

very helpful facts that I'd like to share in case your insurance

company gives you hard time. These facts will, hopefully, serve you as

encouragement as well (in case you need any). The exclamation marks

are mine - I was so excited to read about it...

FDA Classification for Class II Cranial Orthosis (DOCband or

STARband): The Federal Register Volume 63, No. 146 published the FDA

approval in full detail on July 30, 1998. The FDA regulation indicates

to use a Cranial Orthosis for treatment of plagiocephaly for infants

from three to eighteen (!) months of age with moderate to severe

non-synostic positional plagiocephaly […]. The device is intended to

apply pressure to the prominent regions of an infant's cranium, to

improve cranial symmetry and/or shape.

New guidelines for treatment of deformational plagiocephaly based on

patient age and severity of the condition were also presented here

November 1st, 2003, at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, La. As defined by

the guidelines, cranial abnormalities are those that exist more than

six weeks after birth. For infants less than three months of age,

aggressive repositioning of the infant off the flattened occiput is

recommended. Among infants between three to five months of age,

orthotic cranioplasty may be indicated, and for children 5 to 18

months of age, orthotic cranioplasty is required (!!!). After 24

months of age, surgery by a pediatric neurosurgeon or craniofacial

surgeon is required, as orthotic cranioplasty is no longer an

effective option. [study title: New Guidelines for the Diagnosis and

Treatment of Deformational Plagiocephaly.]

I would also like to mention researches described in works of

R. Littlefield, M.S., Jeanne K. Pomatto, B.O.C., M. ,

Ph.D., Cranial Technologies, Incorporated, Phoenix, Arizona, and

Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public

Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa " Dynamic Orthotic

Cranioplasty: Treatment of the Older Infant " . Quoting: " The Dynamic

Orthotic Cranioplasty Band is a cranial orthotic device used to treat

deformational plagiocephaly in infants. The device works by applying a

mild holding pressure to the most anterior and posterior prominences,

where growth is not desired, while encouraging growth in adjacent

flattened regions. Although this technique has been successfully used

to treat infants as young as 3 months of age, it is often assumed that

decreasing cranial growth and increasing cranial rigidity prohibit

treatment in infants older than 1 year of age. The authors' experience

with older infants suggests the contrary. Through a series of case

reports, they present evidence that this treatment remains viable

during the 2nd year of life and that improvement has been observed in

infants in whom treatment has been initiated as late as 18 months. "

Thus, leading craniofacial specialists have determined 18 months to be

the upper limit of acceptable age for banding with successful results.

So go ahead and do it! Because it is such a gentle non-invasive

method, there will be no harm from it (except to you when strangers

start asking, but we, adults, can deal with emotional stress - what

haven't we been through, right?). Best of luck!

> > >

> > > Hello, I just found this support group and have been perusing

through

> > > some of the older posts. It's helpful to have resources out

there who

> > > I can turn to - I just don't trust our pediatrician's office

anymore.

> > > Like many of you, starting at around two months, I began bringing up

> > > the fact that my son had some flatness, but the doctors all said

it was

> > > very mild and would straighten itself out. Aggressive repositioning

> > > helped to round out his head a bit, but fast forward to now - he

will

> > > be 11 months next week and I see very little self correction since

> > > month 6 or so. In fact, when he was having his bath last night it

> > > appears that he now has a ridge on the top of his head (the

assymetry

> > > is really only clear with wet hair). He is only on his back when he

> > > sleeps, but he moves around so much from back to side to the other

> > > side, etc. that I know he's not putting constant pressure on one

part

> > > of his head... He has already been through his major growth

spurts, so

> > >

> > > I suppose I am wondering if anyone out there has had success in

> > > treating older babies - be it with a cranial remolding helmet or any

> > > other type of therapy? We do have an appointment with an orthotist

> > > this week, but I am concerned that my son will not deal well

with any

> > > type of helmet - he refuses to keep hats on his head. Any

experiences

> > > you can share would be most welcome.

> > >

> > > Best,

> > >

> > >

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