The document provides a comprehensive overview of the fetal skull, including its structure, components, and significance in childbirth. It describes the various regions such as the vertex, brow, and face, and discusses key features like sutures and fontanelles, which allow for adaptability during labor. Additionally, it outlines the different diameters of the fetal skull, both longitudinal and transverse, which are vital for understanding delivery mechanisms.

1. FETAL SKULL
PRESENTED BY:
MS.DIVYA PANDEY
NURSING TUTOR
MCH DEPARTMENT
IGSCON AMETHI

3. OBJECTIVES.
Describe the regions of fetal skull
Describe the bones that make up the
vault of the fetal skull
Describe the sutures and fontanelles
Describe the various diameters of the
fetal skull and their significance

4. INTRODUCTION
 The fetal head is large in relation to the fetal
body compared with the adult
 Adaptation between the skull and the pelvis
is necessary to allow the head to pass
through the pelvis during labour without
complications

5. DEFINITION
Fetal skull is to some extent
compressible and made
mainly of thin pliable flat)
bones forming a vault. This is
anchored to the rigid and
incompressible bones at the
base of the skull.

8. FUNCTION OF FETAL SKULL
 Two key functions of the fetal skull are
the protection of the brain, which is subjected
to pressure as it descends through the birth
canal during labour, and an ability to
change shape, adapting to the process of
labour in response to uterine contractions and
the size and shape of the pelvis.

9. vertex
It is a quadrangular area
bounded anterriorly by the
bregma and coronal sutures
behind by the lamda and
lamdoid sutures and laterally by
lines passing through the
parietal eminances.

11. BROW
It is an area bounded on one side by
bregma and coronal sutures and
other side by the root of the nose
and supra orbital ridges of either
side.

13. FACE
 It is an area bounded on one side
by root of the nose and supraorbital
ridges and on the other side by the
junction of the floor of the mouth
with neck.

14. SINCIPUT
 It is the area lying in the front of the
of the anterior fontanel and
corresponds with the area of brow
and the OCCIPUT is limited to the
occipital bone.

17. SUTURES
 IT permits gliding movement
of one suture over the other
during molding of the head.

19. TYPES OF SUTURES IN FETAL
SKULL
SAGITTAL
SUTURES
CORONAL
SUTURES
FRONTAL
SUTURES
LAMBDOID
SUTURES

20. SAGITTAL SUTURES
 It lies between two parietal bones.

21. CORONAL SUTURES
These sutures runs between parietal
and frontal bones on either side.

22. FRONTAL SUTURES
 It lies between two frontal bones.
 Extends from the anterior fontanelle to the
glabella.

23. LAMBDOID SUTURES
 It separates occipital bones from two
parietal bones.

24. FONTANELS
Wide gap in the suture lines called fontanels.
or
When two or more sutures meet a fontanels is
formed.

25. TYPES OF FONTANELS
1. ANTERIOR FONTANEL or
bregma
2. POSTERIOR FONTANEL Or
lambda

27. ANTERIOR FONTANEL OR
BREGMA
 It formed by joining of four sutures in the
midplane
ANTERIORLY BY FRONTAL SUTURES
POSTERIORLY BY SAGITTAL SUTURES
LATERALLY OR EITHER SIDE BY CORONAL
SUTURES
SHAPE- DIAMOND
DIAMETER: 3 CM
FORMED by membrane & it closed by 18months.

29. POSTERIOR FONTAEL OR
LAMBDA
 It formed by joining of three sutures.
ANTERIORLY BY SAGITTAL SUTURES
EITHER SIDE BY LAMBDOID SUTURES
SHAPE- TRIANGULAR
It is membraneous but be come bony at age of 6to
8 weeks.

31. DIAMETETRS OF THE FETAL
SKULL
1. LONGITUDINAL DIAMETERS
2. TRANVERSE DIAMETRS

32. longitudinal DIAMETERS OF THE
SKULL
1. SUBOCCIPITO BREGMATIC
2. Suboccipito-frontal
3. Occipitofrontal
4. Mento-vertical
5. Submentovertical
6. Submentobregmatic

34. 1.SUBOCCIPITO BREGMATIC-
It extends from the nape of the neck to
the center of the bregma.
Measurement- 9.5cm

35. 2.SUBOCCIPITO-FRONTAL
It extends from the nape of the
neck to the anterior end of the
anterior fontanel.
Diameter – 10cm.

36. 3.OCCIPITOFRONTAL
 It extends from the occipital
eminence to the root of the
nose(GLABELLA).
DIAMETER- 11.5cm

37. 4.MENTO-VERTICAL
 Extends from the midpoint of the
chin to the highest point on the
sagittal suture.
 Diameter – 14cm.

38. 5.SUBMENTOVERTICAL
 It extends from junction of the floor of the
mouth and neck to the highest point of the
sagittal suture .
 Diameter – 11.5cm

39. 6.SUBMENTOBREGMATIC
 It extends from junction of the floor
of the mouth and neck to the center
of the bregma or anterior fontanel.
 Diameter – 9.5cm

40. Transverse diameters
The transverse diameters which are concerned
in the mechanism of labour.
1. Biparietal diameter
2. Super-subparietal diameter
3. Bitemporal diameter
4. Bimastoid diameter

42. 1.BIPARIETAL DIAMETER
It extends between two parietal
eminences.
Diameter -9.5cm

43. 2.SUPER-SUBPARIETAL
DIAMETER
It extends from the points placed below one
parietal eminence to the point placed above
the other parietal eminence of the opposite
side.
Diameter -8.5cm

44. 3. BITEMPORAL DIAMETER
It is the distance between the anterior ends of
the coronal sutures.
Diameter -8cm

45. 4. BI – MASTOID DIAMETER
 It is the distance between the tips of
the mastoid process.
 Diameter – 7.5cm

46. SUMMARIZATION