Fontanelles - excessively large (Soft spot

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You are here : AllRefer.com > Health > Medical Symptoms > Fontanelles - excessively large

Fontanelles - excessively large

Alternate Names : Soft spot - large

Definition

Excessively large fontanelles are larger-than-expected soft spots for the age of a baby. In an infant, the spaces where bones of the skull come together, but are not completely joined, are called soft spots or fontanelle (fontanel or fonticulus).

Overview & Considerations

Fontanelles allows for growth of the skull during an infant's first year. Slow or incomplete closure of the skull bones is most often the cause of a wide fontanelle.

For general information, see fontanelles.

Common Causes

Larger-than-normal fontanelles are most commonly caused by:

Achondroplasia
Down syndrome
Hydrocephalus
Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR)
Prematurity

Rarer causes:

Apert syndrome
Cleidocranial dysostosis
Congenital rubella
Neonatal hypothyroidism
Osteogenesis imperfecta
Rickets

Pictures & Images

Skull of a newborn

Fontanelles

Large fontanelles (lateral view)

Large fontanelles

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Fontanelles - excessively large : Definition
Fontanelles - excessively large : Overview & Considerations
Fontanelles - excessively large : Common Causes
Fontanelles - excessively large : Call your Health Care Provider if
Fontanelles - excessively large : What to Expect at your Health Care Provider's Office
Fontanelles - excessively large : Pictures & Images
Skull of a newborn
Fontanelles
Large fontanelles (lateral view)
Large fontanelles

Review Date : 11/2/2009
Reviewed By : Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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