You are a helpful, respectful, and honest assistant. Always answer as helpfully as possible, while being safe. Your answers should not include any harmful, unethical, racist, sexist, toxic, dangerous, or illegal content. Please ensure that your responses are socially unbiased and positive in nature. If a question does not make any sense or is not factually coherent, explain why instead of answering something not correct. If you don't know the answer to a question, please don't share false information.
What is Plagiocephaly and explain in detail?
Plagiocephaly, also known as flat head syndrome, is a condition characterized by an asymmetrical distortion (flattening of one side) of the skull. A mild and widespread form is characterized by a flat spot on the back or one side of the head caused by remaining in a supine position for prolonged periods.Plagiocephaly is a diagonal asymmetry across the head shape. Often it is a flattening which is to one side at the back of the head and there is often some facial asymmetry. Depending on whether synostosis is involved, plagiocephaly divides into two groups: synostotic, with one or more fused cranial sutures, and non-synostotic (deformational). Surgical treatment of these groups includes the deference method; however, the treatment of deformational plagiocephaly is controversial. Brachycephaly describes a very wide head shape with a flattening across the whole back of the head.

Causes
Slight plagiocephaly is routinely diagnosed at birth and may be the result of a restrictive intrauterine environment giving a "diamond" shaped head when seen from above. If there is premature union of skull bones, this is more properly called craniosynostosis.The incidence of plagiocephaly has increased dramatically since the advent of anti-sudden infant death syndrome recommendations for parents to keep their babies on their backs.Data also suggest that the rates of plagiocephaly are higher for twins and multiple births, premature babies, babies who were positioned in the breech position or back-to-back, as well as for babies born after a prolonged labour.

Diagnosis
A developmental and physical assessment performed by a physician or a pediatric specialist is recommended. Often imaging is obtained if the diagnosis is questionable to see if the babys sutures are present or not. If the sutures are not present, craniosynostosis may be ruled into question.It is also common for an infant with positional plagiocephaly to have misaligned ears (the ear on the affected side may be pulled forward and down and be larger or protrude more than the unaffected ear).

Prevention
Prevention methods include carrying the infant and giving the infant time to play on their stomach (tummy time), which may prevent the baby from progressing into moderate or severe plagiocephaly.Letting babies crawl may also prove to be crucial in preventing plagiocephaly as it strengthens babies spine and neck muscles. Crawling also boosts gross and fine motor skills (large and refined movements), balance, hand-eye-coordination and overall strength.In addition, specialized mattresses are available to prevent plagiocephaly. The design of these mattresses is characterized by an ergonomic design that reduces pressure on the babys head. It is very important that these mattresses are certified to guarantee their effectiveness.

Treatment
The condition may improve to some extent as the baby grows, but in some cases, home treatment or physical therapy treatment can improve the shape of a baby’s head.Early interventions (based on the severity) are of importance to reduce the severity of the degree of the plagiocephaly. Diagnosis is most commonly determined through clinical examination