Developmental changes in the occipital cranial sutures of children less than 2years of age.

Abstract

The occipital bone is located on the boundary between the membranous and cartilage bones and contains a wide variety of accessory sutures. In this study, we describe the age distribution of pediatric patients who are less than 2years of age with occipital cranial sutures using a three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT). A total of 167 consecutive patients who are less than 2years of age and underwent computed tomography for head trauma were included in this study. Based on the results of this study, various types of sutures were observed among the pediatric participants. In particular, superior median fissures, mendosal sutures, other interparietal segment's accessory sutures, and interparietal sutures were noted in 21%, 35%, 9%, and 6% of the participants, respectively. Additionally, Wormian bones within the lambdoid suture were noted in 32% of the patients. The median age of children with superior median fissure and mendosal suture was 0month. Meanwhile, superior median fissure was not observed among children older than 5months of age. In this population, 13 patients (8%) were found to have skull fracture. Knowledge of the normal cranial anatomy and developmental patterns of cranial sutures is crucial in the evaluation of questionable fractures in the occipital region. A combination of 3D-CT and axial bone window imaging is useful in differentiating normal structures from pathological changes in the cranium.