Fontanelles Of The Skull
Fontanel also spelled fontanelle soft spot in the skull of an infant covered with tough fibrous membrane there are six such spots at the junctions of the cranial bones.
Fontanelles of the skull. Fontanelle fon tah nel one of the membrane covered spaces remaining at the junction of the sutures in the incompletely ossified skull of the fetus or infant. They allow for molding of the fetal head during passage through the birth canal. The anterior fontanelle is.
It is normal for infants to have these soft spots which can be seen and felt on the top and back of the head. There are normally several fontanelles on a newborn s skull. Actually there are two soft spots close together representing gaps in the bone structure which will be filled in by bone during the normal process of growth.
The ossification of the bones of the skull causes the fontanelles to close over a period of 18 to 24 months. The anterior fontanelle remains soft until. Anterior fontanelle also called soft spot.
The ossification of the bones of the skull causes the anterior fontanelle to close over by 9 to 18 months. Fontanelles that are abnormally large may indicate a medical condition. They eventually form the sutures of the neurocranium.
There are two fontanelles the space between the bones of an infant s skull where the sutures intersect that are covered by tough membranes. During birth fontanelles enable the bony plates of the skull to flex allowing the child s head to pass through the birth canal. The fontanelles allow for growth of the brain and skull during an infant s first year.
They are located mainly at the top back and sides of the head. The sphenoidal and posterior fontanelles close during the first few months of life. Fontanelles are the soft spots on an infant s head where the bony plates that make up the skull have not yet come together.