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The Roentgen Anatomy of the Skull in the Newborn Infant

The Roentgen Anatomy of the Skull in the Newborn Infant The Roentgen Anatomy of the Skull in the Newborn Infant 1 Samuel G. Henderson , M.D. and Louise S. Sherman , M.D. 121 University Place Pittsburgh, Penna. Excerpt In order to learn more of the normal and of normal variations, the skulls of 100 infants were examined roentgenologi-cally. Many of the landmarks so familiar in the adult do not appear in the infant, and similarly the common appearance of the infant's skull is no longer present in the older person. By a comparison of the infant's roentgenograms with the actual skull of the newborn, many of the structures observed on films can be identified. The major purpose of this paper is to indicate these points of interest. Embryology of the Skull (1, 3, 4). The difference in appearance of the infant's skull from that of the adult can be appreciated better by a brief review of the embryological development. The earliest evidence of the cranium is found in dense masses of mesenchyme which embrace the cranial end of the notochord as the parachordal plates and extend into the primitive ethmoid region as the trabeculae cranii. Dense mesenchyme also encloses the auditory, nasal, and optic centers. In the basisphenoid and basioccipital and around the auditory vesicles there is found the first evidence of the intracartilaginous skull. The developing mesoderm grows from these areas around the brain until the latter is enveloped by the membranous cranium. The primitive cranial foramina are left when the developing cranial membrane grows around the cerebral nerves. Approximately at the beginning of the second month, fusion of the mesenchymatous elements takes place, followed by cartilage formation, resulting in the formation of the primitive base of the cranium. Cartilage also forms around the auditory and olfactory primary centers. In the beginning this cartilage is widely separated from that of the base of the cranium. By the time the fetus is approximately forty-five days old, however, the auditory capsule has fused with the basal cartilage. A broad, thin cartilaginous plate grows from the lateral region of the occipital cartilage around the lower portion of the brain to form the early foramen magnum. The entire fused cartilaginous area is known as the chondrocranium. In it various centers of ossification begin to appear, and it is converted almost entirely into bone. The chondrocranium, however, is continuous with the cranial vault, and consequently some of the skull bones are of both cartilaginous and intramembranous origin. On the other hand, the bones of the cranial vault, the vomer, and the bones of the face are entirely of intramembranous origin, and ossification occurs directly in the membrane. In an attempt to show more clearly the manner in which the skull develops, it seems advisable to present some of the facts in tabular form (Table I). http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Radiology Radiological Society of North America, Inc.

The Roentgen Anatomy of the Skull in the Newborn Infant

Henderson, Samuel G.; Sherman, Louise S.
Radiology , Volume 46 (2): 107 – Feb 1, 1946
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Publisher
Radiological Society of North America, Inc.
Copyright
Copyright © 1946 by Radiological Society of North America
ISSN
1527-1315
eISSN
0033-8419
DOI
10.1148/46.2.107
pmid
21013108
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The Roentgen Anatomy of the Skull in the Newborn Infant 1 Samuel G. Henderson , M.D. and Louise S. Sherman , M.D. 121 University Place Pittsburgh, Penna. Excerpt In order to learn more of the normal and of normal variations, the skulls of 100 infants were examined roentgenologi-cally. Many of the landmarks so familiar in the adult do not appear in the infant, and similarly the common appearance of the infant's skull is no longer present in the older person. By a comparison of the infant's roentgenograms with the actual skull of the newborn, many of the structures observed on films can be identified. The major purpose of this paper is to indicate these points of interest. Embryology of the Skull (1, 3, 4). The difference in appearance of the infant's skull from that of the adult can be appreciated better by a brief review of the embryological development. The earliest evidence of the cranium is found in dense masses of mesenchyme which embrace the cranial end of the notochord as the parachordal plates and extend into the primitive ethmoid region as the trabeculae cranii. Dense mesenchyme also encloses the auditory, nasal, and optic centers. In the basisphenoid and basioccipital and around the auditory vesicles there is found the first evidence of the intracartilaginous skull. The developing mesoderm grows from these areas around the brain until the latter is enveloped by the membranous cranium. The primitive cranial foramina are left when the developing cranial membrane grows around the cerebral nerves. Approximately at the beginning of the second month, fusion of the mesenchymatous elements takes place, followed by cartilage formation, resulting in the formation of the primitive base of the cranium. Cartilage also forms around the auditory and olfactory primary centers. In the beginning this cartilage is widely separated from that of the base of the cranium. By the time the fetus is approximately forty-five days old, however, the auditory capsule has fused with the basal cartilage. A broad, thin cartilaginous plate grows from the lateral region of the occipital cartilage around the lower portion of the brain to form the early foramen magnum. The entire fused cartilaginous area is known as the chondrocranium. In it various centers of ossification begin to appear, and it is converted almost entirely into bone. The chondrocranium, however, is continuous with the cranial vault, and consequently some of the skull bones are of both cartilaginous and intramembranous origin. On the other hand, the bones of the cranial vault, the vomer, and the bones of the face are entirely of intramembranous origin, and ossification occurs directly in the membrane. In an attempt to show more clearly the manner in which the skull develops, it seems advisable to present some of the facts in tabular form (Table I).

Journal

Radiology – Radiological Society of North America, Inc.

Published: Feb 1, 1946

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