Medical term:
fontanels
fontanelle
[fon″tah-nel´]one of the membrane-covered spaces remaining at the junction of the sutures in the incompletely ossified skull of the fetus or infant. Actually there are two soft spots close together, representing gaps in the bone structure which will be filled in by bone during the normal process of growth. The anterior fontanelle is diamond shaped and lies at the junction of the frontal and parietal bones. This fontanelle usually fills in and closes between the eighth and fifteenth months of life. The posterior fontanelle lies at the junction of the occipital and parietal bones, is triangular in shape, and usually closes by the third or fourth month of life. Though these “soft spots” may appear very vulnerable, they may be touched gently without harm. Care should be exercised that they be protected from strong pressure or direct injury.
Fontanelles. From Jarvis, 2000.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
fon·ta·nelle
(fon'tă-nel'), [TA]One of several membranous intervals between the angles and margins of the cranial bones in the infant; they include the midline anterior and posterior fontanelles, and the paired sphenoidal and mastoid fontanelles. See: cranial fontanelles.
Synonym(s): fonticuli cranii [TA], fonticulus [TA], cranial fontanelles
[Fr. dim. of fontaine, fountain, spring]
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
fontanelle
A non-ossified area of membranous bone, in particular of the skull in an infant. Fonticulus is the accepted Terminologia Anatomica name; fontanelle is widely preferred in the working medical parlance.Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
fon·ta·nelle
(fon'tă-nel') [TA]One of several membranous intervals at the margins of the cranial bones in the infant.
Synonym(s): fonticulus [TA] .
Synonym(s): fonticulus [TA] .
[Fr. dim. of fontaine, fountain, spring]
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012
fontanel
, fontanelle (fŏn″tă-nĕl′) [Fr. fontanelle, little fountain]
FONTANELS OF INFANT SKULL
Any of the tough, fibrous membranes lying between the bones of the cranial vault of a fetus or infant. Fontanels, colloquially known as soft spots, allow an infant's skull to be compressed during passage through the birth canal. The fontanels ossify generally by age two. See: illustration
anterior fontanel
The diamond-shaped junction of the coronal, frontal, and sagittal sutures; it becomes ossified within 18 to 24 months.
posterior fontanel
The triangular fontanel at the junction of the sagittal and lambdoid sutures; ossified generally by age one.
Medical Dictionary, © 2009 Farlex and Partners
fontanelle
a gap in the skull bone where the brain and its membranes are covered only by skin. Young human infants possess an anterior fontanelle between frontal and parietal bones on top of the head, and a posterior fontanelle between occipital and parietal bones at the back of the head.Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005
Fontanelle
One of several "soft spots" on the skull where the developing bones of the skull have yet to fuse.
Mentioned in: Hydrocephalus, Subdural Hematoma
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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