We decided to exclude very severe cases, since we expected selection bias on the basis of severity of the deformation and selective loss to follow-up in infants with very severe skull deformation who would have been allocated to the natural course.
The severity of the deformation through the first forming pass has been found to be related to the fibre architecture as well as the forming temperature.
Furthermore, an inhomogeneity index, Iinh, is defined as a function of the overall compression of a sample to quantify the severity of the deformation inhomogeneity of the honeycomb; this index facilitates quantitative comparisons among the results under various loading conditions.
After deployment, the maximum von Mises stress appears to locate at the U-bends of stent cell struts, with varying magnitude that depends on the materials and severity of plastic deformation.
We determined the severity of skull deformation in the transversal plane using the oblique diameter difference index and the cranioproportional index of plagiocephalometry (fig 2).
The intensity of the change in the radiofrequency of the ultrasound pulse rises as the severity of the deformation and the elasticity of the tissue increase.
Eventually, only 29/432 (7%) of infants who were eligible for helmet therapy at age 5 months were excluded on the basis the severity of skull deformation.
Limitations of this study include the difference of severity of skull deformation at baseline between both arms of the trial, a low participation rate, limited generalisability of study results to specific subgroups of infants, and no assessment of daily wearing time of the helmet.
When comparing the sub-groups formed on the basis of the severity of the orthopedic deformation, higher asymmetry indices matched more severe deformations, for all the three lengths [Table 5].
The following variables were evaluated: the presence and location of purulent exudates in the joint space; soft tissue and bone abscesses; the severity of tibial metaphysis deformation; and spread of the infection to the tibial diaphysis.
