What is the significance of the anterior fontanelle

Article PubMed Google Scholar. Singh V Textbook of clinical embryology. Elsevier Health Sciences: Arch Dis Child — Kiesler J, Ricer R The abnormal fontanel. Am Fam Physician — J Pediatr — Usher RH Clinical and therapeutic aspects of fetal malnutrition. Pediatr Clin N Am — Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol — Moffett EA, Aldridge K Size of the anterior fontanelle: three-dimensional measurement of a key trait in human evolution.

Anat Rec — Article Google Scholar. Philip AG Fetal growth retardation: femurs, fontanels, and follow-up. Dev Biol — J Craniofac Genet Dev Biol — Neurosurg Clin N Am — Surg Neurol — J Pediatr Neurosci J Neurosurg — Arq Neuropsiquiatr — Journal of Craniofacial Surgery — Because brain expands faster than the surrounding bones do, having flexible sutures and membraneous areas fontanelles in diverse places of the cranial vault will allow the rapid stretching of the cranium, while brain volume increases.

Therefore, the late fusion of Fontanelles and sutures allow the postnatal growth of cerebral volume. See picture below to acknowledge the brain volume during different stages of life in comparison to an adult sized brain. Another role of Fontanelles and sutures is at birth. Additionally, Fontanelles and sutures also protect brain from minor impacts of head, as during infancy and childhood babies are learning how to hold their head up, roll over, and sit up.

How many Fontanelles and cranial s sutures are we born with? Generally, the humans are born with 6 Fontanelles :. The health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask questions about the child's medical history, such as:.

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Cranial fasciitis of the anterior fontanel. Scalp and calvarial masses of infants and children. Fundamentals of neuroimaging. Clinical signs of dehydration in children. Guest coordinator of the series is Susan Montauk, M. This content is owned by the AAFP. A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference.

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