What Is The Success Of Adult Plagiocephaly Correction?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have mild/moderate plagiocephaly for which I intend to try and surgically correct as much as possible in the near future. 

As you can see from the attached photos, the right side of my skull is prominent by several millimeters / 1/4 inch with a corresponding flat area on the back right of my skull. My jaw (and to an extent my whole face) is skewed to the recessive left side. 

What is your opinion of the success of treatment options.

A: Thank you for your inquiry and sending your pictures. You have the classic plagiocephalic skull and facial changes which only differ in affected patients by their magnitude. I always use a 3D craniofacial CT scan to treatment plan. But in the end you treat what bothers patients by what they see externally. Also as part of the treatment plan the goal is also not to create undue scarring from the surgery.

That being said you have identified one very definitive concern, the flat back of the head on the right side and the ipsilateral protrusion of the parieto-temporal bone to which my treatment approach is a custom skull implant to build out the flat skull area and an ipsilateral temporal reduction to reduce the width through an incision in the crease in the back of the ear. Both are very low scarring procedures that are highly successful in improving the head shape to most patient’s satisfaction.

The facial asymmetries are a bit different in that they are more subtle and I would have to defer until seeing a 3D CT scan to make any treatment recommendations. In addition I need input from the patient as to those concerns, particularly what they see as the most bothersome.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana