Re: Suture Fusion Timeline

[Guest guest]

Here's some info I posted a while back on suture fusion/timeline...

Skull development -

At birth, the skull has approximately 45 separate bones. Most of the growth occurs during the first two years of life, so after the 24th month, most of the features of the adult skull are present. HOWEVER, during childhood, cranial growth still continues; but at a slower rate, and mostly in the way of thickening of the cranial bones. Growth is slowest from the 7th year until puberty. Then growth accelerates for a couple of years. NOT UNTIL THE 20TH YEAR DOES THE SKULL ATTAIN IT'S DEFINITIVE SIZE! With increasing age, the fetal membranes and cartilaginous part of the skull are replaced by bone.

Fontanel and Suture closure -

There is considerable variation in the time it takes in suture or fontanel closure. It can even vary from one side of the head to the other!

The anterior fontanel is usually reduced to fingertip size during the first half of the 2nd year. The posterior fontanel may close during the last two months before birth or the first 2 months following birth.

The metopic suture begins to close in the 2nd year and is usually completely obliterated in the 3rd year. In 10 percent of the population, it never completely fuses.

The mendosal sutures usually persists for several weeks after birth.

The coronal, lambdoidal and sagittal sutures all persist normally throughout infancy and childhood and usually do not begin to close until about the 30th year.

The mendosal suture is a strip of connective tissue along the base of the skull. It's considered a neonatal suture and is less well known than the "major" sutures. Sometimes they are even mistaken for a fracture in the skull!

paraphrased from: Pediatric X-ray diagnosis, author Caffey

Kaye/subscribe/Plagiocephaly

----- Original Message -----

From: BoogiesMOM2@...

Plagiocephalyegroups

Sent: Sunday, May 14, 2000 7:27 PM

Subject: Re: Digest Number 192

In a message dated 5/12/00 11:01:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time, Plagiocephalyegroups writes:<< sutures were not closed yet, so I'm hoping they're still open. Dothey typically close 12-18 months or am I confused? Wish me luck! diane >>Dianne I was under the impression that many of the suture stay open until adult years, the head just gets harder..no soft spots... and for the correction issue they want the children young because they grow so fast..after a year old their growth rate slows...but they can still wear a helmet at 18 months..that was the latest according to the orthotist at cranial technologies.. so I really don't think it has anything to do with the sutures..I think I read somewhere that the metopic closes first??? I could be wrong, but just a thought..Varissa (Christian's mom sagittal craniosynostosis)

[Guest guest]

I say WOW to all of that!!!

Kendra

Kaye wrote:

Here's

some info I posted a while back on suture fusion/timeline... Skull

development -At birth, the

skull has approximately 45 separate bones. Most of the growth occurs

during the first two years of life, so after the 24th month, most of the

features of the adult skull are present. HOWEVER, during childhood,

cranial growth still continues; but at a slower rate, and mostly in the

way of thickening of the cranial bones. Growth is slowest from the

7th year until puberty. Then growth accelerates for a couple of years.

NOT UNTIL THE 20TH YEAR DOES THE SKULL ATTAIN IT'S DEFINITIVE SIZE!

With increasing age, the fetal membranes and cartilaginous part of the

skull are replaced by bone. Fontanel

and Suture closure -There

is considerable variation in the time it takes in suture or fontanel closure.

It can even vary from one side of the head to the other!The

anterior fontanel is usually reduced to fingertip size during the first

half of the 2nd year. The posterior fontanel may close during the

last two months before birth or the first 2 months following birth.The

metopic suture begins to close in the 2nd year and is usually completely

obliterated in the 3rd year. In 10 percent of the population, it

never completely fuses.The

mendosal sutures usually persists for several weeks after birth.The

coronal, lambdoidal and sagittal sutures all persist normally throughout

infancy and childhood and usually do not begin to close until about the

30th year. The mendosal

suture is a strip of connective tissue along the base of the skull.

It's considered a neonatal suture and is less well known than the "major"

sutures. Sometimes they are even mistaken for a fracture in the skull! paraphrased

from: Pediatric X-ray diagnosis, author Caffey

Kaye

/subscribe/Plagiocephaly

----- Original Message -----

From:

BoogiesMOM2@...

Plagiocephalyegroups

Sent: Sunday, May 14, 2000 7:27 PM

Subject: Re: Digest Number

192

In a message dated 5/12/00 11:01:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

Plagiocephalyegroups

writes:

<< sutures were not closed yet, so I'm hoping they're still

open. Do

they

typically close 12-18 months or am I confused? Wish me luck! diane

>>

Dianne I was under the impression that many of the suture stay open

until

adult years, the head just gets harder..no soft spots...

and for the

correction issue they want the children young because they grow

so

fast..after a year old their growth rate slows...but they can still

wear a

helmet at 18 months..that was the latest according to the orthotist

at

cranial technologies.. so I really don't think it has anything

to do with

the sutures..I think I read somewhere that the metopic closes first???

I

could be wrong, but just a thought..Varissa (Christian's mom sagittal

craniosynostosis)