Suture closure in the human chondrocranium: CT assessment

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.