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Published on: June 29, 2013
Parietal bone markers of intrauterine growth disturbance
1Wolfson Unit, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Insights
Parietal bone size variations in fetuses and newborns may indicate growth rate changes. Estimating abnormal bone zones could reveal intrauterine growth alterations and aid in diagnosing skeletal dysplasias.
Area of Science:
- Human anatomy
- Developmental biology
- Orthopedics
Background:
- The human parietal bone's size and configuration are crucial indicators of fetal and neonatal development.
- Understanding growth patterns is essential for identifying developmental abnormalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present new and existing data on human parietal bone size.
- To explore the diagnostic potential of parietal bone zonal changes for estimating intrauterine age and identifying skeletal dysplasias.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of existing datasets on parietal bone dimensions.
- Examination of zonal variations in parietal bone morphology in fetuses and newborns.
Main Results:
- Zonal changes in parietal bone configuration correlate with phasic variations in fetal growth rate.
- Parietal bone size estimation in abnormal zones may indicate the timing of growth alterations during intrauterine development.
Conclusions:
- Parietal bone size and its zonal variations offer valuable insights into fetal growth dynamics.
- This research suggests parietal bone analysis as a potential tool for assessing intrauterine age and diagnosing skeletal dysplasias.
Abstract:
Old and new data on the size of the human parietal bone are presented. Attention is drawn to zonal changes in the configuration of the bones, particularly in fetuses and newborn babies, that almost certainly indicate phasic variations in the growth rate of the baby, and it is suggested that the estimation of the size of the bone where these abnormal zones occur may be a guide as to the intrauterine age of the child when the alteration in growth occurred. Parietal bone size could also be a help in describing local and general skeletal dysplasias.
