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An unusually-wide human bregmatic Wormian bone: anatomy, tomographic description, and possible significance

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Abstract

Supernumerary ossicles (or 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. In this autoptic report of a 66-year-old Caucasian woman, a peculiar supernumerary bone is described, unusual size and shape, filling completely the bregmatic fontanelle. The skull was CT-scanned through coronal sections at 80 kV and 60 mA, with a slice thickness of 1.0 mm and a resolution of 0.35 mm/pixel. Segmentation and 3D rendering were computed using MIMICS 7.0 (digital endocast). The bone was pentagonal and remarkably large, more on the exocranial surface than on the endocranial one, involving both tables and diploe of the vault. This feature might represent a wedge to completion of the vault architecture. Considering the functional and structural matrix of cranial morphogenesis, this case displays the possibility of discrete diversification of the ossification centres, as well as the relative stability of the structural skull matrix in response to discrete changes.

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Acknowledgements

The Authors would like to thank Mr E. Battaglione for his assistance in preparing the figures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Anatomy, University of Rome Sapienza, via Alfonso Borelli, 50, 00161, Rome, Italy

    Fabrizio Barberini, Gianfranco Franchitto & Rosemarie Heyn

  2. Laboratory of Functional Anatomy, University of Motor Sciences (IUSM), P.zza Lauro de Bosis, 6, 00194, Rome, Italy

    Emiliano Bruner

  3. Operative Unit of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, Belcolle Hospital, Strada prov. Sammartinese, 01100, Viterbo, Italy

    Roberto Cartolari

  4. Department of Animal and Human Biology, University of Rome Sapienza, Città Universitaria P. le Aldo Moro, 5, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Francesca Ricci & Giorgio Manzi

Authors
  1. Fabrizio Barberini
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  2. Emiliano Bruner
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  3. Roberto Cartolari
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  4. Gianfranco Franchitto
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  5. Rosemarie Heyn
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  6. Francesca Ricci
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  7. Giorgio Manzi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fabrizio Barberini.

Additional information

Study supported by Grants of “Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca”, Italy.

Results presented at the occasion of the 61° National Congress of the Italian Society of Anatomy and Histology.

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Barberini, F., Bruner, E., Cartolari, R. et al. An unusually-wide human bregmatic Wormian bone: anatomy, tomographic description, and possible significance. Surg Radiol Anat 30, 683–687 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-008-0371-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-008-0371-0

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