Lap. Kohn et al., EFFECT OF PREMATURE SAGITTAL SUTURE CLOSURE ON CRANIOFACIAL MORPHOLOGY IN A PREHISTORIC MALE HOPI, The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal, 31(5), 1994, pp. 385-396
Scaphocephaly is caused by premature sagittal suture closure. It restr
icts medial-lateral growth of the cranial vault which appears longer a
nd narrower than normal. We examined how this natural malformation aff
ected morphology of the cranial base and face. A prehistoric adult mal
e Hopi with scaphocephaly was compared to 19 normal male Hopi (0ld Wal
pi Series, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL). Three-dimens
ional coordinates of 53 landmarks were recorded on the cranial vault,
cranial base, and face. Finite element scaling analysis was used to te
st for significant differences between the scaphocephalic and normal i
ndividuals in craniofacial morphology. Finite element scaling results
indicated that scaphocephaly has a profound effect on cranial vault mo
rphology. However, morphology of the cranial base and face were only s
lightly affected and, typically, are within the normal range of variat
ion for the sample. An abnormality in the cranial base is not associat
ed with scaphocephaly in this individual.