Synonym: ossa suturarum
Features of wormian bones:
(1) accessory bones (ossification centers) in the suture lines and/or within the fontanelles
(2) may range from 1 to 100+ in number
(3) numbers decrease with age as sutures and fontanelles close
According to Pryles and Khan, wormian bones are a marker of abnormal CNS development, which may or may not be immediately evident.
Associations:
(1) mental retardation
(2) congenital anomalies
(3) hydrocephalus
Conditions associated with multiple wormian bones:
(1) Down's syndrome
(2) osteogenesis imperfecta
(3) progeria
(4) congenital hypothyroidism
(5) cleidocranial dysostosis
(6) hypophosphatasia
(7) pyknodysostosis
(8) pachydermoperiostosis
(9) Hajdu-Cheney syndrome
