European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE WORMIAN BONES AT THE LAMBDOID SUTURE

T. Ramesh Rao and Suresh R. Rao*

ABSTRACT

Sutural bones are usually small, irregularly shaped ossicles, often found in the sutures of the cranium, especially those in relation with the parietal bones. Their size, shape and number vary from skull to skull. A sutural bone is occasionally present at the pterion or junction of the parietal, frontal, greater wing of the sphenoid, and squamous portion of the temporal bones. Wormian bones of the cranial vault are formations associated with insufficient rate of suture closure, and regarded as epigenetic and hypostotic traits. These bones rest along sutures and/or fill fontanelles of the neonatal skull. These bones might lead to confusions in reading the radiographs in the case of head injuries. The Wormian bones like this may be mistaken for multiple fractures. We found eight Wormian bones in the lambdoid suture in an adult Indian skull. Knowledge of these variations is very important for anthropologists, radiologists and neuro-surgeons.

Keywords: Wormian bone, sutural bone, lambdoid suture, lambda.