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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Midface Hypoplasia and Cranial Base Morphology in Syndromic Craniosynostosis: A Comparative Analysis Study Using a Predictive Regression Model
Published on: November 4, 2025
The developing spheno-occipital skull base: developmental variants and embryologic remnants that mimic pathology in
Carmen R Cerron-Vela1, Marcus Meneses2, Bethelhem Belachew2
1Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. cerronvelc@chop.edu.
None:
The pediatric skull base develops through a complex sequence of events from fetal development through adolescence and may result in numerous normal variants and embryonic remnants that can mimic pathology on imaging. This review highlights the embryologic basis and imaging appearance of common central skull base developmental variants encountered in children. Focusing on synchondroses, clefts, foramina, notochordal remnants, and pneumatization-related variants, we emphasize age-dependent findings and key imaging features that provide radiologists with a reference to support confident interpretation and the ability to distinguish benign developmental variants from true pathology in children.
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