P96.3: Wide cranial sutures of newborn

The cranial sutures are wider than usual.

The skull is made up of various bones. The individual bones are connected to each other by connective tissue. These connections made from connective tissue are also known as cranial sutures. Over time the cranial sutures turn into bone.

The child’s cranial sutures can be wider than usual after birth. That can have various causes.

A disorder in the bone formation may be the cause, for example. This may be due to a vitamin D deficiency, for example. Vitamin D is important for bone strength. The cranial sutures may also be wider than usual when the head comes under increased pressure. This can happen if spinal fluid accumulates in the head, for example. Spinal fluid can be found in cavities in the brain, around the brain, and around the spinal cord. But there may also be no specific reason for the wide cranial sutures. The wide cranial sutures do not then indicate a disorder.

If the child’s cranial sutures are wide, the cranial bones may be more mobile than usual. It may be that the baby’s cranial bones can displace more than usual.