Enlarged parietal foramina

Objective: To evaluate a series of patients with enlarged parietal foramina for associated brain anomalies. Background: Enlarged parietal foramina are usually considered a benign calvarial defect. Methods: Ten patients with enlarged parietal foramina were identified. Seven patients were evaluated with neuroimaging: two by cranial CT and five by CT and/or MRI. Three patients who underwent MRI also underwent MR angiography or MR venography. Results: Six of seven patients had cranial imaging showing a persistent falcine venous sinus. Three of six patients had variations of occipital cortical infolding. One patient had focal encephalomalacia in close proximity to the persistent falcine venous sinus and one had a previously undiagnosed atretic occipital encephalocele. Conclusion: This constellation of findings suggests that aberrant vascular evolution during fetal development may affect cerebrovascular, brain, or skull development. Individuals with enlarged parietal foramina (>5 mm) warrant imaging of underlying brain parenchyma and vasculature.

[1]  K. Matsumoto,et al.  Vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation in an adult: a case report. , 1996, Surgical neurology.

[2]  V. Engelbrecht,et al.  Aplasia cutis congenita and enlarged parietal foramina (Catlin marks) in a family , 1995, Acta paediatrica.

[3]  B. Hertzberg,et al.  Prenatal sonographic detection of giant parietal foramina , 1992, Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

[4]  J. Carey,et al.  Parietal foramina clavicular hypoplasia. An autosomal dominant syndrome. , 1984, American journal of diseases of children.

[5]  D. Pang,et al.  Symptomatic large parietal foramina. , 1982, Neurosurgery.

[6]  K. Kinoshita,et al.  [Familial foramina parietalia permagna: five cases in a family (author's transl)]. , 1980, No to shinkei = Brain and nerve.

[7]  G. Currarino Normal variants and congenital anomalies in the region of the obelion. , 1976, AJR. American journal of roentgenology.

[8]  T. Lodge Developmental defects in the cranial vault. The Mackenzie Davidson Memorial Lecture , 1975 .

[9]  J. Fein,et al.  Evolution and significance of giant parietal foramina. Report of five cases in one family. , 1972, Journal of neurosurgery.

[10]  L. Hollender Enlarged parietal foramina. , 1967, Oral surgery, oral medicine, and oral pathology.

[11]  J. Warkany,et al.  HEREDOFAMILIAL DEVIATIONS: II. ENLARGED PARIETAL FORAMENS COMBINED WITH OBESITY, HYPOGENITALISM, MICROPHTHALMOS AND MENTAL RETARDATION , 1940 .

[12]  W. M. Goldsmith “THE CATLIN MARK” The Inheritance of an Unusual Opening in the Parietal Bones , 1922 .