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Skull Development and Abnormalities

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Neuroimaging

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Abstract

Before the advent of computed tomography (CT), plain skull X-ray films and special views of the skull were an art form belonging to the radiographer who was knowledgeable in positioning the patient (nonrotated) and film technique (adequately penetrated). The radiologist also needed keen vision and knowledge of anatomy to effectively interpret the images (Fig. 12.1). Subtle clues to the intracranial contents could be discerned by the presence of calcification, skull erosion, and signs of increased intracranial pressure, as with demineralization of the sellae or an increase in the size of mastoid emissary veins, as well as by recognition of diseases primarily affecting the osseous structure of the skull in the form of sclerotic and/or lytic lesions (Fig. 12.2). Computed tomography revolutionized the radiologist’s ability to see the intrinsic structure of the skull in cross-section. This decreased the demand for skull films, which resulted in a decline in the ability of the radiographer and the radiologist. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) further decreased the demands for skull films, by showing the intracranial contents even more exquisitely than CT. The relative lack of success of MR in visualizing the cranial vault, because of the nonmobile protons within bone, has not had the impact on skull films that CT has. Today, the skull radiograph plays a relatively limited role in the evaluation of the pediatric and adult patient. Except in the situation of trauma, craniosynostosis, and known genetic diseases affecting the cranial structures, the skull X-ray tends to be a procedure that follows the recognition of its need on the basis of another examination, such as CT, MR, or the radionuclide study. The purpose of this chapter is to put into perspective aspects of the development of the skull and the resultant deformities that occur from premature sutural synostosis, as well as to look at the visualization of the skull vault on plain films, CT, and MR relative to the diseases that affect it.

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Authors
  1. Robert A. Zimmerman
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Pennsylvania, USA

    Robert A. Zimmerman MD (Professor of Radiology, Chief, Neuroradiology & MRI) (Professor of Radiology, Chief, Neuroradiology & MRI)

  2. Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Robert A. Zimmerman MD (Professor of Radiology, Chief, Neuroradiology & MRI) (Professor of Radiology, Chief, Neuroradiology & MRI)

  3. Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, Provo, UT, 84604, USA

    Wendell A. Gibby MD (Director of Magnetic Resonance Imaging) (Director of Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

  4. Department of Radiology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA

    Raymond F. Carmody MD (Professor of Radiology) (Professor of Radiology)

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© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Zimmerman, R.A. (2000). Skull Development and Abnormalities. In: Zimmerman, R.A., Gibby, W.A., Carmody, R.F. (eds) Neuroimaging. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1152-5_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1152-5_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7025-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-1152-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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