What's in a Name Challenges Associated with the Clinical Assessment of Severity in Deformational Pl

What's in a Name: Challenges Associated with the Clinical Assessment of Severity in Deformational Plagiocephaly-Brachycephaly (AT017-4B)

When a family comes into one of our clinics to seek our expertise on deformational plagiocephaly-brachycephaly (DPB), a top concern is whether treatment is recommended for the child, and if so, where the child’s head shape falls with respect to its severity. As a company that has been solely dedicated to treating DPB since 1986 with 73 clinics across 21 states and four countries, Cranial Technologies’ clinicians regularly discuss head shape severity and the DPB severity scales with parents, physicians, therapists, and insurers. A child’s placement on the severity scale is a determining factor in whether a cranial remolding orthosis (CRO) is recommended, the length of time the child could wear the CRO, the expected outcomes from treatment, and whether insurance will cover the CRO and treatment. In a sense, the severity rating given to a particular child’s head shape can impact that child’s future.