Introduction: In a case of overexposure of an unstable baby skull to continually recurring forces, the skull is remodelled, meaning the shape of the skull changes. Most commonly it results in aesthetical deformation of the occipital bone, localized to the right or left side, called plagiocephaly. Flattening may occur on the entire rear end of the skull, which is called Brachycephaly. These conditions can also occur simultaneously. When assesing the degree of the deformation, which influences what kind of treatment will be used, different methods are used. In diagnostics we use data gathered by observation, measurement and calculation. Purpose: The aim of this diploma work is to investigate and present the existing methods by which physicians assist in the final diagnosis and monitoring of the incorrectly formed skull in infants. Check the reliability of each method and compare them with each other. Methods: When I wrote this diploma thesis, I used the descriptive method, with gathering existing literature, mostly written in foreign languages. I restricted the found literature to articles about conservative treatment of plagiocephaly and those about methods of diagnosis of the most common deformations of children's skulls. Results: Making a diagnosis is an important element, that decides which treatment is chosen, because the process gives us the state and the degree of the deformation. In health care there is currently no standardised method for diagnosis of skull irregularities. There are different approaches with various measure tools. In most cases a visit to the paediatrician is enough to make a diagnosis. When there is suspicion of brain restriction on account of skull deformation, the patient gets a referral for additional tests. In some cases the specialist will decide to use measuring devices, which help them track the state of the deformation. Discussion and conclusion: Measurement tools give us numerical or descriptive data. Both approaches were proven to be reliable, research based on the combination of two methods showed somewhat better results. The clinical classification using visual assesment allow the child's guardian to understand the state of the child's deformation, while numerical data is more difficult to explain. The measurements are acquired through two- and three-dimensional data. Two-dimensional data consists of radiological graphic methods and outlined shapes of the skull on a measurement sheet. Three-dimensional data have proven to be the most reliable regarding the accuracy, but they are expensive and require a lots of room. Considering all factors, the most practical methods proved to be plagiocephalometry with a thermoplastic band and anthropometric measurement with a caliper.
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