delayed closure of the fontanelles
Last reviewed 01/2018
Normally fontanelles close in the first two years of life; it is hard to feel an open fontanelle after one year. Causes of delayed closure include:
- hydrocephalus
- trisomies - particularly Down's syndrome
- congenital hypothyroidism
- skeletal dysplasias, such as achondroplasia or Russell-Silver dwarfism
- metabolic causes such as mucopolysaccharidoses