Anterior fontanelle

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Synonyms
vordere Fontanelle, große Fontanelle

The anterior fontanelle, Fonticulus anterior, is the largest of all fontanelles. It is diamond-shaped and at birth has an anteroposterior diameter of approximately 4 cm and a transverse diameter of approximately 2.5 cm. Under normal circumstances, the anterior fontanelle closes at approximately 2.5 years of age1.

Figure

Schematic illustration of the fontanelles
Schematic illustration of the sutures and the anterior and posterior fontanelles.

Imaging

Anterior fontanelle, axial CT
Axial CT image of a two-day-old newborn showing the anterior fontanelle (marked in red).

References

    1. Greenberg MS, Abel N, Agazzi S. Handbook of Neurosurgery. Georg Thieme Verlag; 2020. ↩ ↩

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