Suture (joint)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about joints in the bones of the cranium. For stitches holding tissues together, see Surgical suture. For natural structures of a wide range of animals, see Suture (anatomical). For other uses, see Suture (disambiguation).
Suture (joint)
Side view of the skull.
Human skull side suturas right.svg
Human skull side suturas right
Latin Sutura
Gray's p.284
TA A03.1.02.001
FMA 7493
Anatomical terminology

A suture is a type of fibrous joint which only occurs in the skull (or "cranium"). They are bound together by Sharpey's fibres. A tiny amount of movement is permitted at sutures, which contributes to the compliance and elasticity of the skull.

These joints are synarthroses.[1] It is normal for many of the bones of the skull to remain unfused at birth. The fusion of the skull's bones at birth is known as craniosynostosis. The term "fontanelle" is used to describe the resulting "soft spots". The relative positions of the bones continue to change during the life of the adult (though less rapidly), which can provide useful information in forensics and archaeology. In old age, cranial sutures may ossify (turn to bone) completely.[verification needed]

The joints between the teeth and the joint between the mandible and the cranium, the temporomandibular joint, form the only non-sutured joints in the skull.

List of sutures[edit]


Primarily visible from the side (norma lateralis)[edit]

Primarily visible from front (norma frontalis) or above (norma verticalis)[edit]

Primarily visible from below (norma basalis) or inside[edit]



  1. ^ "Module - Introduction to Joints". Archived from the original on 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2008-01-29. 

External links[edit]