In an adult skull, endocranial suture closure begins earliest at which site?

• A Squamous part of temporal suture
• B Coronal suture near pterion
• C Lambdoid suture near lambda
• D Sagittal suture near bregma ✓

Explanation

Endocranial closure precedes ectocranial closure and begins at the bregmatic end of the sagittal suture, followed by the posterior sagittal region, then coronal and lambdoid sutures. The squamosal and other basal sutures close last and may remain open into old age. Because obliteration starts at bregma, the degree of sagittal suture closure is used as an approximate indicator of adult age. Ectocranial closure lags behind by several years and is less reliable, which kills any option based on external examination.

Reference: Modi's Medical Jurisprudence and Toxicology, 23rd ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.