Does Helmet Therapy Really Heal Plagiocephaly, Brachycephaly?

Though many doctors have encouraged the use of helmet therapy to treat infants with skull deformations, a recent study shows that no treatment may be just as effective.

Researchers at the University of Twente in the Netherlands discovered that there was no significant difference in children who were administered helmet therapy and those who had no treatment at all.

For the study, researchers examined 84 healthy babies with mild to moderate plagiocephaly--a syndrome that's categorized by asymmetrical distortion. Other babies suffered from brachycephaly, in which the back of the skull is flattened and the front protrudes outwards.

Forty-two of the babies were randomly selected to wear a helmet for 23 hours a day over six months. All helmets were custom-made to fit to the shape of each infant's head, while leaving the skull appropriate room to expand, in the hopes that the child's head would round out. The other children were provided with no active treatment throughout the duration of the study.

Two years later, findings showed that about one-fourth of babies in both groups showed full recovery by the age of 2. However, there was no significant difference in improvement for children who wore the helmet or received no treatment. For instance, about 25 percent of those in the helmet therapy group recover from skull deformation, while about 23 percent in the no-treatment group also recovered.

Parents of the children in the helmet group also reported negative side effects, including skin irritation, pain and unpleasant odor. It also disrupted cuddling opportunities between parents and their child.

Helmets customized to treat flat head syndrome can be quite costly, ranging between $1,300 and $3,000, according to the study.

"Based on the equal effectiveness of helmet therapy and skull deformation following its natural course, high prevalence of side effects, and high costs associated with helmet therapy, we discourage the use of a helmet as a standard treatment for healthy infants with moderate to severe skull deformation," the authors note, via Health Day. 

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be seen via the BMJ.