Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 17, 2026
State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates
Published on: February 2, 2015
Multiple occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal foramina: a variant of enlarged parietal foramina in an infant
Erdem Yılmaz1, Aylin Yetim2, Oğuz Bülent Erol3
1Department of Radiology, İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
Insights
Enlarged parietal foramina are benign skull lesions. This case report details a rare instance of multiple cranial foramina, emphasizing the need to consider this diagnosis for congenital calvarial defects.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Pediatric Radiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Calvarial lesions are frequently incidental findings on routine imaging.
- The majority of lytic skull lesions are benign in nature.
- Enlarged parietal foramina represent a specific type of benign congenital defect due to ossification issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the first known case of multiple enlarged foramina affecting the occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal bones.
- To highlight the diagnostic utility of advanced imaging in differentiating congenital defects from other pathologies.
- To underscore the importance of considering enlarged parietal foramina variants in the differential diagnosis of multiple calvarial lesions.
Main Methods:
- A case study of an 11-month-old female presenting with a scalp mass.
- Radiographic evaluation including craniography and computed tomography (CT) for detailed anatomical assessment.
- Three-year follow-up utilizing ultrasound to monitor lesion stability.
Main Results:
- Physical examination revealed a soft occipital mass with underlying bone defect.
- CT imaging demonstrated well-defined, regular-shaped defects in multiple calvarial bones (occipital, parietal, temporal, frontal).
- No significant changes were observed in the lesions over a three-year follow-up period via ultrasound.
Conclusions:
- This is the first reported case of multiple enlarged foramina across the occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal regions of the cranium.
- Enlarged parietal foramina variant should be considered in the differential diagnosis of multiple calvarial lesions after excluding other conditions.
- CT is crucial for diagnosis, while sonography serves as a valuable tool for monitoring these congenital defects.
Background:
Calvarial lesions are often detected incidentally in routine radiology. Most lytic lesions of the skull are benign. Enlarged parietal foramina are benign lesions caused by deficient intramembranous ossification.
Case Report:
An 11 month-old female patient was admitted with a mass on the right of the back of the head. Physical examination showed a soft 5 cm mass area with no palpable bone in the right occipital. The family history revealed a similar mass in a maternal cousin that resolved over time. Craniography showed lytic lesions, and there were no other pathologies on a complete skeletal X-ray. Computed tomography (CT) showed regular-shaped defects in the bilateral temporal bones, right parietal bone, bilateral frontal bones in the upper-medial orbital wall, and particularly in the occipital bone. The well-defined contours, absence of a soft tissue component, and normal structure and density of the adjacent calvarial bones all pointed to a congenital defect. No change in the lesions was observed during a three-year ultrasound follow-up period.
Conclusion:
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first described case of multiple occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal foramina in the cranium. A diagnosis of enlarged parietal foramina variant should be considered after ruling out the differential diagnosis in patients with multiple calvarial lesions. CT may provide valuable findings for the differential diagnosis, and sonography may be used for follow-up.
More Related Videos
06:59Intrathecal Application of a Fluorescent Dye for the Identification of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks in Cochlear Malformation
Published on: February 29, 2020
09:32Network Analysis of Foramen Ovale Electrode Recordings in Drug-resistant Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients
Published on: December 18, 2016
Related Concept Videos
01:14Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...
01:18Anatomy of the Brain: Ventricles
01:27Cranial Bones: Lateral View
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone is subdivided into several regions. The flattened upper portion is the squamous portion of the temporal bone. Below this area and projecting anteriorly is the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, which forms the posterior portion of the zygomatic arch. Posteriorly is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting...
01:22Sutures of the Skull
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
01:10The Arch of Aorta
Encircling the heart, the coronary arteries form a ring-like structure before...
01:26Cerebrum: Anatomical Overview I