ON Jan one, 1999 at twelve:00PM
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When I took my daughter in for her 12-month check-up, my medical doctor found out that her soft spot had completely closed, which he reported should not occur right until nearer to two years. Also, her head hasn't grown considering that her nine-month examine up. She is producing routinely as far as I can tell. My health care provider has referred her to a pediatrician. Could early closure with the soft spot indicate a problem?
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The "soft spot" is the area on top with the head where the bones from the skull have not quite joined. During pregnancy, the skull develops sort of like a jigsaw puzzle; it's not all one bone, but rather many bones that eventually meet and fuse. Some bones meet and fuse before the baby is born. Others fuse after birth to allow room for the brain's tremendous growth over the first year. Alot more than 50 percent of your total growth of your head occurs in this first year of life. If all the bones fused early, there would be no room for the brain as it grows.
There are often several "soft spots" present at birth,
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The smaller is the posterior fontanel, on the back part with the top on the head. It's usually difficult to find at two months of age and should be completely gone (because the bones have fused) by four months. The anterior fontanel is the one most parents recognize as the soft spot. It's on top of the head toward the front. Four bones come together at this spot, but, because of their rounded corners,
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So, what does it mean when the soft spot seems to have closed up early? Most of your time, it means that it is still present but is difficult to feel because a tough, fibrous cartilage membrane develops over the soft spot as it is closing. This membrane can make it difficult to determine if the soft spot is still open.
However, if the soft spot does indeed close early, it could be a condition called craniosynostosis,
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The fact that your daughter's soft spot seems closed is not necessarily an issue. It may be that it is, in fact, not closed, just difficult to feel. But even if it is closed at her age,
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Windows 7 Home Premium Key, the head continues to grow to allow for brain growth. If her skull, indeed, has not expanded over these last three months, I certainly agree with your medical doctor that she should be evaluated by a pediatrician.
You can expect the pediatrician to do a complete history and physical, including review of all the head-circumference measurements up right until this point. It's important that you bring a record of all these with you. If the the pediatrician feels that her head growth is abnormal, x-rays of the skull -- or extra likely, a CAT scan -- of your head will be done. This will allow for a thorough look at the bones to assess their condition.
The fact that your daughter seems to be developing appropriately is important and would tend to indicate that her soft spot is also normal. But making sure the rest of her skull is growing in most cases is just as important. Good luck with your visit to the pediatrician.
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