Source: Cephalalgia  |  Posted 10 years ago

ATLANTA, GA -- April 29, 2002 -- Some infants sleeping on their stomach can turn their heads so far to the left or right they may decrease blood flow in their vertebral arteries, affecting blood circulation in the brain, a new study indicates. This may be one of several possible reasons for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the study researchers say.

Radiologists at the University of Vienna in Austria, examined the blood flow in the vertebral arteries of 12 infants-six who had died of SIDS, four from trauma and two from heart disease-to determine if turning their heads one way or the other or extending their neck narrowed their arteries.

"We found that 71 percent of the children diagnosed with SIDS and 29 percent of the other infants had narrowed vertebral arteries when they were put on their stomach and their neck was rotated to the left or right," says Stefan Puig, MD. Dr. Puig will present his data April 29 at the American Roentgen Ray Society annual meeting in Atlanta, GA. "When their neck was rotated and extended, half of both groups had compressed arteries," he says.

"This study suggests that narrowing of the vertebral artery could be a factor in SIDS. However, the fact that it was seen in infants who had not died from SIDS indicates that there could be a dangerous inclination toward vertebral artery compression for any infant sleeping on his/her stomach," says Dr. Puig

Infants are able to turn their heads further to the left or right than older children and adults because their ligaments and bone structures don?t yet limit that movement as much. This "extreme" movement has the potential of vertebral artery compression, says Dr. Puig. "Our study underlines the possible danger of prone sleeping and supports the recent international efforts encouraging parents to have their infants sleep on their backs," he adds.

SOURCE: American Roentgen Ray Society