Which skull feature is described in hydrocephalus?

Which skull feature is described in hydrocephalus?

• A. Flattened skull
• B. Shortened jaw
• C. Increased cranial pressure
• D. Domed skull

Answer: (D)

In hydrocephalus, cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain’s ventricles, raising intracranial pressure. In young patients, the skull bones and sutures aren’t yet fused, so this pressure pushes outward on the calvaria and the head enlarges into a rounded, domed shape. That domed skull is the hallmark skull feature described in hydrocephalus. Flattened skull isn’t typical because the skull tends to expand rather than compress; a shortened jaw isn’t related to CSF buildup; and while increased cranial pressure accompanies hydrocephalus, it describes a state, not the skull’s shape.

In hydrocephalus, cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain’s ventricles, raising intracranial pressure. In young patients, the skull bones and sutures aren’t yet fused, so this pressure pushes outward on the calvaria and the head enlarges into a rounded, domed shape. That domed skull is the hallmark skull feature described in hydrocephalus.

Flattened skull isn’t typical because the skull tends to expand rather than compress; a shortened jaw isn’t related to CSF buildup; and while increased cranial pressure accompanies hydrocephalus, it describes a state, not the skull’s shape.