Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The mendosal suture of the occipital bone: occurrence in Indian population, embryology and clinical significance

  • Medical Imaging
  • Published:
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Occipital occipital bone is ontogenetically and functionally unique when compared to the other bones of the skull in humans and other mammalian cousins. The Occipital occipital bone develops from six ossification centers; any defect in the ossification process will give rise to mendosal suture (accessory suture) and conditions like posterior plagiocephaly. There is a paucity of literature regarding the mendosal suture and further more, its report in Indian population is not known. The present study was conducted to find out the occurrence of mendosal suture in the Indian dry skulls. Fifteen specimens (3%) were found to have these sutures out of five hundred500 skulls examined. Nine (3.1%) samples are of male skulls out of two hundred ninety (290) and six (2.85%) samples are that of female skulls out of two hundred ten210. The mendosal suture ran close to the superior nuchal line in all specimens and traveled medially from the lambdoidal suture. The length of the sutures ranged from 0.8 cm to 2.6 cm (1.88 cm) on the right side and 1.4 cm to 2.9 cm (1.94 cm) on the left side respectively in male skulls; and 0.7 cm to 2.8 cm (1.55 cm) on the right side and 1 cm to 2.4 cm (1.42 cm) on the left side, respectively, in female skulls. The origin of mendosal suture from the lambdoidal suture was 5.7 cm to –6.3 cm (5.98 cm) from the tip of the mastoid process on the right side and 5.6 to –6.3 cm (6 cm) on the left side, respectively, in male skulls; and 5.4 cm to –5.8 cm (5.58 cm) on the right side and 5.4 cm to –5.6 cm on the left side respectively in female skulls. The occurrence and clinical significance of the present study is discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Allen WE III, Kier EL, Rothman SLG (1973) Pitfalls in the evaluation of skull trauma. A review. Radiol Clin North Am 11:479–503

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Anto´n SC (1997) Developmental age and taxonomic affinity of the Mojokerto child, Java, Indonesia. Am J Phys Anthropol 102:497–514

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Chasler CN (1972) Atlas of Roentgen Anatomy of the New born and Infant Skull. St Louis, Mo, Warren II Green 89–135p

  4. Cohen MM Jr (1993) Sutural biology and correlates of craniosynostosis. Am J Med Genet 47:581–616

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Katzenberg MA (2005) Human skeletal remains. Available at (http://www.crowcanyon.org/ResearchReports/sitetesting/Text?Ts_19.htm) last accessed July 2006

  6. Lang J (1983) Clinical anatomy of the head: neurocranium, orbit, raniocervical regions, Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  7. Mann KS, Chan KH, Yue CP (1986) Skull fractures in children: their assessment in relation to developmental skull changes and acute intracranial hematomas. Child’s Nerv Syst 2:258–261

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Miet G, Babin JP, Demarquez JL, Martin CI (1979) Syndrome de Dandy-Walker avec disjonction de la suture mendosale. Arch franc Pe´ diat 36:1057–1060

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Mills AJ (2001) Report to the Supreme Council of Aantiquities on the 2000/2001 field activities of the Dakhleh oasis project. Available at (http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/archaeology/dakhleh/reports2001.pdf) last accessed August 2006

  10. Mowbray K (2005) Surface bone histology of the occipital bone in humans and chimpanzees. Anat Rec B New Anat 283B:14–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Nakahara K, Miyasaka Y, Takagi H, Kan S, Fujii K (2003) Unusual accessory cranial sutures in pediatric head trauma. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 43:80–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Nakahara K, Utsuki S, Shimizu S, Iida H, Miyasaka Y, Takagi H, Oka H, Fujii K (2006) Age dependence of fusion of primary occipital sutures: a radiographic study. Childs Nerv Syst 22:1457–1459

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Pawlik HJ (1956) Fortschritte auf dem Gebiete der Rontgenstrahlen und der. Nuklearmedizin 84:698–702

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Sze RW, Hopper RA, Ghioni V, Gruss JS, Ellenbogen RG, King D, Hing AV, Cunningham ML (2005) MDCT diagnosis of the child with posterior plagiocephaly. AJR 185:1342–1346

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Tubbs RS, Salter EG, Oakes WJ (2006) Does the mendosal suture exist in the adult? Clin. Anat. Published online on 29th November in Wiley InterScience (http://www.interscience.wiley.com). doi:10.1002/ca.20259

  16. Tubbs RS, Wellons JC III, Oakes WJ (2003) Unilateral lambdoidal synostosis with mendosal suture involvement. Pediatr Neurosurg 39:55

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Wolfe A, Rubinstein A, Cassisi A, Salzhauer M (2005) Congenital, synostoses. Available at (http://www.emedicine.com/plastic/topic190.htm) last accessed September 2006

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Centre for Basic Sciences, Kasturba Medical College, Bejai, Mangalore, 575004, Karnataka, India

    Soubhagya R. Nayak, Ashwin Krishnamurthy, S. J. Madhan Kumar, Latha V. Prabhu, P. J. Jiji & Mangala M. Pai

  2. KS Hegde Medical Academy, Deralekatte, Mangalore, India

    Arunachalam Kumar

  3. Department of Anatomy, AJ Institute of Medical Sciences, Kuntikan, Mangalore, 575004, India

    Ramakrishna Avadhani

Authors
  1. Soubhagya R. Nayak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ashwin Krishnamurthy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. J. Madhan Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Latha V. Prabhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. P. J. Jiji
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Mangala M. Pai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Arunachalam Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Ramakrishna Avadhani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Soubhagya R. Nayak.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nayak, S.R., Krishnamurthy, A., Madhan Kumar, S.J. et al. The mendosal suture of the occipital bone: occurrence in Indian population, embryology and clinical significance. Surg Radiol Anat 29, 329–332 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-007-0216-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-007-0216-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation