The 'breech head' and its relevance

C. M. Haberkern, D. W. Smith and K. L. Jones

Eight infants had scaphocephaly with prominent occipital shelving. This abnormal head shape is identified as a postural deformation associated with breech intrauterine position, and it is noted to resolve during infancy with no apparent residual impairment in most cases. At the same time, the "breech head," as we have designated this unusual head form, may occur in the setting of a primary problem in fetal morphogenesis, and it may be itself a factor contributing to birth injury during vaginal delivery of the breech infant.