Craniosynostosis

At six months of age, a baby’s brain volume is 50% of its adult size. A baby’s brain triples in size by one year of age, quadruples in size by two years of age, and is approximately 85% of its adult size by age three. The growth of the skull responds to the increasing brain size. The skull is made up of multiple bones that come together at joints called “sutures.” There are five different sutures: metopic, sagittal, coronal, lambdoidal, and squamosal. Except for the metopic suture, cranial sutures do not normally close until adulthood. The metopic suture closes first at two years of age. The sagittal suture is next, closing at age 22. This is followed by the coronal suture at age 24, the lambdoidal suture at age 26, and the squamosal suture from ages 35-39. Craniosynostosis occurs when the sutures close prematurely. This is usually manifested during infancy.

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