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Suture closure in the human chondrocranium: CT assessment
1Department of Radiology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1022, USA.
Insights
This study used computed tomography (CT) to map skull base development in children, detailing the timing of ossification, suture, and synchondroses closure for diagnostic standards.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Radiology
- Craniofacial Development
- Anatomy
Background:
- The chondrocranium undergoes significant development throughout childhood.
- Understanding skull base ossification, suture, and synchondroses closure is crucial for diagnosing congenital abnormalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document the developmental timeline of ossification centers, sutures, and synchondroses in the pediatric chondrocranium.
- To establish computed tomography (CT) standards for assessing skull base development.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of cranial CT scans from 189 children (newborn to 18 years) without skull base deformities.
- Grading the closure of 18 specific sutures and synchondroses within the skull base.
Main Results:
- Detailed fusion patterns of occipital bone components, including rapid fusion of the Kerckring ossicle and later fusion of intraoccipital synchondroses.
- Observed delayed closure of occipitomastoidal, petro-occipital, and spheno-occipital synchondroses into adolescence.
- Identified the timeline for ossification center assimilation in the sphenoid bone and the progression of sphenoid sinus pneumatization.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a comprehensive chronicle of pediatric skull base development using CT imaging.
- Established CT-based standards aid in evaluating the patterns and timing of sutural and synchondrosal closure in children.
Purpose:
To chronicle the development of ossification centers, sutures, and synchondroses in the chondrocranium throughout childhood by using computed tomography (CT).
Materials And Methods:
One hundred eighty-nine children (age range, newborn to 18 years; median age, 4.0 years) without skull base deformity were referred for cranial CT. The closure of 18 sutures and synchondroses was graded.
Results:
In the occipital bone at birth, six components were identified. The Kerckring ossicle rapidly fused to the supraoccipital bone within the 1st month. At age 1-3 years, the posterior and anterior intraoccipital synchondroses began to fuse. The occipitomastoidal, petro-occipital, and spheno-occipital synchondroses remained partially open into the teenage years. In the sphenoid bone at birth, 13 ossification centers were identified; most assimilated into the sphenoidal body during the first 2 years. Pneumatization of the sphenoid sinus appeared at age 1-2 years and advanced posteriorly over the next 3-5 years.
Conclusion:
The complex process of skull base development is chronicled, which provides CT standards for judgment of the patterns and timing of sutural or synchondrosal closure.