- This article is about joints in the bones of the cranium. There is also an article about sutures as features of a wide range of animals. "Suture" also has other meanings in other contexts:
- Surgical suture, to describe stitches and other techniques for holding tissues together.
- Geology, to describe a certain type of boundary between layers of rock.
A suture is a type of fibrous joint which only occurs in the skull (or "cranium"). They are bound together by Sharpey's fibres. A tiny amount of movement is permitted at sutures, which contributes to the compliance and elasticity of the skull.
These joints are synarthroses.[1]
It is normal for many of the bones of the skull to remain unfused at birth. The term "fontanelle" is used to describe the resulting "soft spots". The relative positions of the bones continue to change during the life of the adult (though less rapidly), which can provide useful information in forensics and archaeology. In old age, cranial sutures may ossify (turn to bone) completely.[verification needed]
[edit] List of sutures
Most sutures are named for the bones they articulate, but some have special names of their own.
[edit] Primarily visible from the side (norma lateralis)
[edit] Primarily visible from front (norma frontalis) or above (norma verticalis)
[edit] Primarily visible from below (norma basalis) or inside
[edit] References
[edit] External links
