Craniofacial measurements of full-term neonates

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to measure the craniofacial dimensions of 41 full-term neonates nursed in the Special Care Baby Unit of Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, so as to develop a good-fitting and secure eye-patch protector for protecting neonatal eyes from the strong light in phototherapy. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 14 craniofacial dimensions were measured using a new, safe and non-intrusive method with a close-range photogrammetric system and two dimensions of head circumference and facial arc were measured using manual method with a disposable paper tape in the hospital environment. Birth information of gestation, age, gender, present weight and present length has been recorded. A descriptive statistics was produced based on the measured data. Correlations between each pair of dimensions were investigated and factor analysis was conducted for application on an eye-patch protector development. Findings: Head circumference was identified as the most desirable key dimension of a sizing system for an eye-patch protector. Two head circumferences with the sizes of 310-349 mm and 350-389 mm, respectively, could effectively cover all full-term neonates. Design guidelines were generated according to the measurement of the craniofacial dimensions. Originality/value: This paper presents the craniofacial dimensions of head, eye, nose and ear parts of full-term neonates.