a) The occiput lies between the foramen magnum and the posterior fontanels. The part below the occipital protuberance is known as the sub-occipital region.

b) The vertex is bounded by the posterior fontanels, the parietal eminences and the anterior fontanels.

c) The sinciput or brow extends from the anterior fontanels and the coronal suture to the orbital ridges.

d) The face is small in the newborn baby. It extends from the orbital ridges and the root of the nose to the junctions of the chin and the neck. The point between the eyebrows is known as the glabella. The chin is termed as the mentum and is an important landmark.

The landmarks of the foetal skull are the sinciput, occiput, glabella, anterior and posterior fontanels, vertex, occipital protuberance and the mentum (see figure 2.2, below)

Fig.2.2. Landmarks of the fetal skull
Last modified: Tuesday, 21 February 2017, 4:06 PM