Sutures - ridged
Key points
- Ridged sutures is caused by an overlap of the bony plates of the skull, with or without premature closure.
- The skull of an infant or young child is made up of bony plates that allow for growth of the skull.
- Home Care Home care depends on the condition causing the premature closure of sutures.
- What to expect at your health care provider's office The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.
Alternative names
Ridged sutures
Definition
Ridged sutures is caused by an overlap of the bony plates of the skull, with or without premature closure.
Considerations
The skull of an infant or young child is made up of bony plates that allow for growth of the skull. The borders at which these plates intersect are called sutures or suture lines. In an infant only a few minutes old, the pressure from delivery compresses the head, making the bony plates overlap at the sutures and creating a small ridge.
This is a normal finding of newborns. In the next few days the head expands, the overlapping disappears, and the edges of the bony plates meet edge to edge. This is the normal position.
Ridging of the suture line can also occur when the bony plates fuse together prematurely. When this happens, growth along that particular suture line ceases. Premature closure generally leads to an unusually shaped skull.
Premature closure of the sagittal suture (scaphocephaly) produces a long, narrow head, while premature closure of the coronal suture leads to a short, wide head.
Common Causes
- Normal ridging due to overlap of bony plates after birth - resolves spontaneously
- Congenital craniosynostosis
- Crouzon's syndrome
- Apert's syndrome
- Carpenter's syndrome
- Pfeiffer syndrome
Home Care
Home care depends on the condition causing the premature closure of sutures.
Call your health care provider if
- You notice a ridge along the suture line of your child's head
- You think that your child has an abnormal head shape
What to expect at your health care provider's office
The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.
Medical history questions documenting ridged sutures in detail may include:
- When did you first notice that the skull seemed to have ridges in it?
- What do the fontanelles (soft spots) look like?
- Have the fontanelles closed? At what age did they close?
- What other symptoms are present?
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.