MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Large fontanelles (lateral view)

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Large fontanelles (lateral view)

A wide fontanelle occurs when the fontanelle is larger in size than expected for the age of the baby. Slow or incomplete ossification of the skull bones is most often the cause of a wide fontanelle.

Update Date: 5/10/2006

Updated by: Daniel Rauch, MD, FAAP, Director, Pediatric Hospitalist Program, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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