Special Technology Helps Create Cranial Re-Shaping Helmets

Six-month-old Easton Rosen has a long way to go before he hits the football field, but in the meantime, he’ll be showing his North Dakota pride with this customized cranial re-shaping helmet. Easton’s mom Rachel Rosen noticed soon after Easton’s birth that he had a flat spot behind his ear. He was later diagnosed with torticollis, which is a condition that causes the head to be turned to one side. This led the Rosen family to CHI St. Alexius Health Great Plains Rehabilitation Services [1].

“I just hope his head kind of rounds out on the one side I guess, and he continues to tolerate the helmet like he has been for the most part,” Rosen said.

The STARScanner uses lasers to create a custom helmet to re-shape the baby’s head. The process takes two seconds and doctors say it’s less stressful than doing a traditional plaster cast, which could take as long as 20 minutes.

The number of cases similar to baby Easton’s is on the rise. The Journal of Pediatrics says 46 percent of 2 to 3-month-old babies have flat head syndrome. Doctors believe there are a variety of factors at work — from sleeping on the back to pressure the baby experiences in the womb.

“He’s been pretty good. He’s been fussy here or there. I think that’s normal to be fussy here or there, but overall he’s been doing pretty well,” Rosen said. A baby can be scanned as a newborn, but they can’t be fitted for a helmet until they are at least 3 months old. Treatment typically takes about three to four months.

Doctors recommend the use of cranial helmets when babies have severe cases of flat head syndrome. Typically, the child will outgrow the condition on their own. The American Family Physician Journal says that early detection is key because a baby’s head grows during the first eight months, which makes it easier to re-correct the head shape.

KFYR TV
Megan Hahn Reporting