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Are Wormian bones normal?

Are Wormian bones normal?

Wormian bones are a normal anatomical variant of the skull, which often lie within the suture lines. Hence, they generally go unnoticed [1]. Less common is a Wormian bone within the anterior fontanelle of a newborn child. The fontanelles are important for normal growth of a child’s head.

Which bones are Wormian bones?

Wormian bones are abnormal ossicles that develop from extra ossification centers within the cranium. They are most frequently located in the lambdoid suture or the coronal suture, and have been seen in the fontanelles, particularly the posterior fontanelle.

What is an example of a Wormian bone?

Examples of the Wormian bones (marked by asterisks) located within the lambdoid suture of the human skull; Oc — occipital bone, Lp — left parietal bone, Rp — right parietal bone. Wormian bones are irregular ossicles of small size and reveal fractal pattern of their edges.

What is a Wormian Sutural bone?

Wormian bones are a subset of the small intrasutural bones that lie between the cranial sutures formed by the bones of the skull vault. They are formed due to additional ossification centres in or near sutures. They are usually considered as normal variants and seem to be determined genetically in certain populations.

Does everyone have Wormian bones?

Usually, not more than several are found in a single individual, but more than one hundred have been once found in the skull of a hydrocephalic adult. Wormian bones are a marker for some diseases and important in the primary diagnosis of brittle bone disease: osteogenesis imperfecta.

Why are there Wormian bones?

Wormian bones are small bones that are often found within the sutures and fontanelles of the skull. When a child presents an unexplained fracture or fracture(s), osteogenesis imperfecta is usually suggested when an “abnormally high number” of fractures are seen.

Are Wormian and sutural bones the same?

Wormian bones (also knows as intrasutural bones) is the name given to the additional small bones sometimes found between the cranial sutures of the bones of the skull vault, most commonly in relation to the lambdoid suture.

Why are sutural bones important?

The anatomical knowledge of Sutural bones is clinically important, because their presence is frequently used as a helpful marker of some congenital disorders, mainly bone dysplasia. Nevertheless their only presence is not a clinically significant event to determine any particular disease.

Does everyone have sutural bones?

They are found in both sexes as well as in both sides of the skull. Approximately half of Sutural bones are located in the lambdoid suture and fontanel and the masto-occipital suture. The second most common site of incidence (about 25%) is in the coronal suture.