A unique presentation of parietal notch bone with coexisting multiple wormian bones and complete metopism

Abstract

During routine osteology tutorials for the first year medical students, we came across this skull which presented with various noteworthy findings. In total, 13 sutural bones were observed in the skull, out of which 11 were located at the commonly described lambda. Out of these 11, five were seen on the right side and six were present on the left side. One sutural bone (coronal ossicle) was seen 3.5 cm above the pterion, on the left side of the coronal suture. But, a very rare sutural bone- the parietal notch bone was observed at the posterior aspect of the temporo-parietal suture. This bone was present between the squamous and mastoid parts of the temporal bone and the parietal bone. It was situated 2 cm anterior to the asterion. Another interesting co- finding on the same skull was the presence of a complete metopic suture, which extended from the bregma to the nasion. It was a typical dentate suture. The report bestows an important anatomical insight into the region and has potential relevance for the radiologists and the surgical interventionists working on the area.