sphenoid fontanelle
Học thuậtThân thiện
A doctor gently palpates the sphenoid fontanelle on an infant's head during a checkup.
Definition
Noun: - An anatomical gap in the infant skull: The sphenoid fontanelle is one of the soft, membrane-covered spaces (fontanelles) located on each side of an infant's skull. It is found where the frontal bone, parietal bone, temporal bone, and the greater wing of the sphenoid bone meet. This area is not yet ossified (turned to bone) at birth, allowing for skull flexibility during delivery and for brain growth. After ossification, this junction point is known as the pterion.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The pediatrician checked the infant's sphenoid fontanelle during the routine examination.
- Unlike the larger anterior fontanelle, the sphenoid fontanelle is smaller and closes earlier in development.
Advanced Usage
- Clinical significance: In medical contexts, the sphenoid fontanelle can be a landmark for assessing hydration and intracranial pressure in infants, though it is less commonly examined than the anterior fontanelle.
- Bulging or sunken sphenoid fontanelles can be a sign of underlying medical conditions.
Variants and Related Words
- Fontanelle (noun): A general term for any soft spot on an infant's skull where bones have not yet fused. The sphenoid fontanelle is one of several.
- Pterion (noun): The anatomical landmark on the side of the skull where the sphenoid, parietal, frontal, and temporal bones meet ossification is complete.
- Anterior fontanelle (noun): The larger, diamond-shaped soft spot at the top front of an infant's skull.
Synonyms
- Sphenoidal fontanelle: An alternative name for the same anatomical structure.
- Anterolateral fontanelle: A less common synonym describing its front-side location.
Related Terms (Anatomical)
- Suture (noun): The fibrous joint between two skull bones. Fontanelles are located at the intersections of multiple sutures.
- Ossification (noun): The natural process by which soft fontanelle areas harden into bone, typically closing the sphenoid fontanelle within the first few months after birth.
A doctor gently palpates the sphenoid fontanelle on an infant's head during a checkup.
Noun
- the irregularly shaped area on either side of the cranium where the frontal bone and the anterior tip of the parietal bone and the temporal bone and the greater wing of the sphenoid bone meet; corresponds to the pterion when bones have ossified