Why and should a baby's fontanel throb?

If a child's fontanelle pulsates, this is not always a cause for concern; most often, this is a normal phenomenon. But there are diseases in which excessive pulsation of the fontanelle is one of the symptoms. Therefore, it is necessary to know some of the structural features and physiological characteristics of fontanelles in children.

What is a fontanelle and why is it needed?

Every child is born with a fontanelle on the head, but if the child is premature, then there may be several. This is a place on the child's head where the bones of the skull are not yet tightly fused and connective tissue is located in this place. Over time, the bones gradually grow together and a strong skull is formed, like that of an adult. Why is this formation on the baby's head? During childbirth, when passing through all the planes of the pelvis, the head performs the most important function and regulates the process of the child's passage through the birth canal. Therefore, the load and pressure on the bones of the skull are maximum. Fontanelles allow the bones of the skull to move freely along the birth canal, the bones can overlap each other, which significantly reduces the pressure and load on the brain itself. In addition, during the first year of life, all of the child's organs grow and increase in size. This applies to the brain, which grows, and the bones of the skull grow in the same way. Therefore, the fontanelle allows you to grow freely and increase in size. These are the main functions that the fontanelle must perform in a newborn. In a child of the first year of life, the fontanelle does not close yet, so it is a kind of "mirror" of the general condition of the baby. Therefore, knowledge of the main features of the fontanelle structure is very important even for the mother.

During the development of the skull bones, the baby has only six fontanelles, but a healthy full-term baby is born with only one anterior or large fontanelle. It is located between the frontal bone and two parietal bones, so it has an irregular diamond shape, and its dimensions are about 25 millimeters in length and width. Measurements should be taken not from the corners of the diamond, but from side to side. Such a fontanelle is located at the level of the skull bones, it should not sink in too much or pulsate. There are normal thresholds for fontanelle closure, exceeding which indicates a possible problem. The large fontanelle closes by 12-18 months of the child's life, and if there are any violations, then you need to think about pathology.

Speaking about the condition of the fontanelles, it should be noted that if the child's general condition is excellent, he is not capricious, sleeps and eats well, gains weight, then changes in the nature and shape of the fontanelle should not cause increased attention. In any other cases, you need to consult a doctor.

Changes in the fontanelle that indicate pathology

Parents often ask whether the fontanelle should pulsate in a child. It has already been said that this is the thinnest place on the child's head, on which there are no bones. During a heartbeat, the wave passes through all the vessels, including the vessels of the brain. Between the membranes of the brain there is a liquid - cerebrospinal fluid. When the heart contracts, the shock wave spreads to the vessels of the brain and to the cerebrospinal fluid, which can be seen as a pulsation of the fontanelle. That is why the fontanelle pulsates in a child - this is a reaction to the contraction of the heart. But this blow is not as intense as the heartbeat in its amplitude, so the pulsation may not be visible visually. How should the fontanelle pulsate in a child? Under normal conditions, it should pulsate in the same rhythm with the heartbeat. When the child is active or when he cries, then sometimes you may not see such a pulsation, but during a calm sleep you can see how lightly the fontanelle pulsates, which may resemble a heartbeat.

If the child's fontanelle is pulsating strongly, which is visible to the naked eye and this is accompanied by anxiety, then one can think about a pathology. In children of the first month of life, pulsation of the fontanelle is more often due to increased intracranial pressure. This pathology can occur against the background of pathological birth, cesarean section or simply hypoxia of the child in utero. This is accompanied by a violation of the tone of the nervous system and therefore the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid from the brain can be difficult. Symptoms of this are strong pulsation of the fontanelle, and its tension can also be. When the child is picked up, he usually screams even more and the fontanelle pulsates even more. It is these clinical features that indicate increased intracranial pressure. Symptoms for concern can only be a deterioration in the child's condition, his causeless crying and refusal to feed. In this case, a consultation with a pediatric neurologist is necessary.

Pulsation of the fontanelle may be one of the symptoms of hydrocephalus. This is a pathology in which the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid from the brain through the spinal canal is blocked. This is accompanied by accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid, an increase in the volume of the head, and a large fontanelle.

One of the reasons for the pulsation of the fontanelle may be a heart pathology. More often this occurs with congenital heart defects, when the defect is compensated by an increase in the heart rate. This can be transmitted to the vessels of the brain and they can also pulsate intensely. In any case, it is necessary to focus on other clinical manifestations of the pathology.

Pulsation of the fontanelle in a child is a normal phenomenon that occurs due to the transfer of the impact force of the heart to the vessels during its contraction. And if such pulsation is rhythmic and corresponds to the pulsation of the carotid artery, then there is no need to worry. And any other violations of the child's condition, the mother should see in time to consult a doctor.

[ 1 ]