Introduction: To date cranial development has only been described by analyzing
occipitofrontal circumference (OFC). More precise methods of determining head
measurements have not been widely adopted. The use of additional measurements has
the potential to better account for the three-dimensional structure of the head. Our aim
was to put forward centile curves of such measurements for gestational age along with
a compound head volume index.
Methods: We created generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape of two
ear-to-ear distances (EED), transfontanellar (fEED) and transvertical (vEED), from birth
anthropometric data. Same was done for OFC, crown-heel length, and birth weight to
allow for comparison of our models with growth charts by Voigt et al. and Fenton and Kim.
Results: Growth charts and tables of LMS parameters for fEED and vEED were
derived from 6,610 patients admitted to our NICU and 625 healthy term newborns. With
increasing gestational age EEDs increase about half as fast compared to OFC in absolute
terms, their relative growths are fairly similar.
Discussion: Differences to the charts by Fenton and Kim are minute. Tape
measurements, such as fEED or vEED can be added to routine anthropometry at little
extra costs. These charts may be helpful for following and evaluating head sizes and
growth of preterm and term infants in three dimensions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:85822 |
| Date | 06 June 2023 |
| Creators | Arnold, Nancy, Ascherl, Rudolf Georg, Thome, Ulrich Herbert |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 838333 |
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