SynthesisChild's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery2025
Use of orthotic helmets in children with positional plagiocephaly and brachycephaly: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Cross-Sectional study on cranial shape measurement values of 2,165 preterm infants in Beijing.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- Prognostic factors for cranial deformities in infancy: a retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- Commentary on: "Use of orthotic helmets in children with positional plagiocephaly and brachycephaly: a systematic review".Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis review aims to evaluate the scientific evidence on the efficacy and safety of cranial orthotic therapy (helmet therapy) in children under 12 months with moderate to severe posicional plagiocephaly and brachycephaly.
methodsA systematic review was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. Additional searches were conducted in regulatory agency repositories for relevant notifications.
resultsA total of 19 studies were included in the review, assessing various treatment modalities for PP. Repositioning therapy demonstrated effectiveness in reducing cranial asymmetry for mild to moderate cases, but several studies (class I and II evidence) indicated that it was less effective than both physical therapy and helmet use. Physical therapy, particularly manual therapy combined with caregiver counseling, showed superior outcomes for non-synostotic cranial asymmetry. Helmet therapy was consistently recommended for infants with moderate to severe deformities, with better outcomes when initiated during early infancy.
conclusionHelmet therapy is safe and effective for specific cases, especially moderate to severe PP or brachycephaly, with improved results when started early. However, available studies have methodological limitations, and the decision to use helmet therapy should be individualized, considering the severity of the deformity, patient age, and response to other treatments.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.