coronal suture

Coronal suture
Side view of the skull. ('Coronal suture' visible near top.)
Left zygomatic bone in situ. (Coronal suture not labeled, but region is visible at upper right.)
Latin	sutura coronalis
Gray's	subject #46 183
Dorlands/Elsevier	s_30/12773939

The coronal suture is a dense, fibrous connective tissue joint that separates the frontal and parietal bones of the skull. At birth, the bones of the skull do not meet.

Pathology

If certain bones of the skull grow too fast then "premature closure" of the sutures may occur. This can result in skull deformities. There are two possible deformities that can be caused by the premature closure of the coronal suture:

• a high, tower-like skull called "oxycephaly"
• a twisted and asymmetrical skull called "plagiocephaly"

References

• "Sagittal suture." Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 27th ed. (2000).
• Moore, Keith L., and T.V.N. Persaud. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, 7th ed. (2003).

Additional images

The skull from the front.

The skull at birth, showing the lateral fontanelle.

External links

• Coronal+suture at eMedicine Dictionary
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34256.000-1
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34256.000-2

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