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View our privacy policyThe LOC Cranioband Lite is the only 3D-printed helmet for treating flat head syndrome made in the UK.
When your baby is diagnosed with craniosynostosis, treatment involves surgery to correct the shape of the skull and allow the brain to grow.
Traditionally, this meant open surgery, but Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) now offers less invasive endoscopic strip craniectomy, where the fused sutures are removed using small incisions.
After surgery, your baby will need a special helmet to guide the skull’s growth. This is a custom-made orthosis that gently correct your baby’s head shape by holding the prominent areas while allowing growth in the flatter areas.
This helmet helps reshape your baby’s skull after the surgery and is similar to the helmets we prescribe for positional plagiocephaly, but with added design features to support babies with craniosynostosis.
Improved ventilation means babies are less likely to become hot and uncomfortable while wearing it. This helps ensure they stay comfortable and tolerate wearing their helmet well, even during warmer nights and summer months.
We listened to parent’s needs for a cooler and more lightweight design. The LOC Cranioband Lite weighs approximately 40% less than traditional craniobands making it more comfortable to wear.
Each helmet is tailored from a precise 3D scan for the best possible correction. Thinner foam walls allow for a sleeker, more comfortable fit.
Babies that complete their helmet therapy treatment with us show an improvement in their cranial index (cephalic ratio) and asymmetry.
To get the best results for your baby, your dedicated clinician is here to support you through the process with regular contact and review meetings when you need them.
Once you and your doctors decide that endoscopic surgery is the right choice, a pre-surgery appointment will be arranged. This can be either in clinic or virtually. During this appointment, we’ll talk to you about the helmet therapy and take a scan if needed. This scan helps us understand your baby’s head shape before surgery.
Once your baby has recovered for about a week after surgery, minimising any delay to start correcting their head shpe, we’ll take another 3D scan so we can design and model your baby’s custom LOC Cranioband Lite. The scan appointment will take about 90 minutes. This will also help us monitor your baby’s head shape to track progress.
We will then 3D print their bespoke helmet in our in-house workshop.
Just one week after the scan, we’ll fit your baby’s LOC Cranioband Lite helmet. This appointment lasts 60 to 90 minutes, during which we’ll make any adjustments to ensure the helmet fits well.
We will also show you how to care for the helmet, as well as how to put it on and take it off.
You will gradually build up the time that the helmet is worn over a 5-day period, allowing your baby to gradually acclimatise and settle into wearing it. After this, they will continue with full-time wear of 22–23 hours per day.
You will have regular follow-up appointments to check on your baby’s progress and make adjustments to the helmet. These will happen every week at first, and then every two weeks, progressing to monthly as your baby grows.
If your baby’s head shape still needs more correction, they may need a second or third Cranioband Lite, depending on their age and needs.
After the LOC Cranioband Lite, your baby may move to a different helmet called the LOCband Lite, which is more durable and adjustable as they grow. This helmet can last 4 to 8 months, depending on your baby’s age and needs.
We’re proud to receive referrals from Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust.
We’re happy to answer any questions you might have, with no commitment to proceed with treatment.
