Foramina parietalia permagna: Case report

Abstract

Introduction: In forensic autopsy, pathologists are not particularly interested in the anatomical morphological variations of the skull bones, especially if those variations are not very frequent. Foramina parietalia permagna are developmental benign anomalies resulting from large ossification defects of the parietal bone. Case Outline: Herein was presented a case of 80-year-old female, whose autopsy revealed congenital defect of parietal bones - enlarged parietal foramina. These defects were capped by a fibrous membrane and covered by normal scalp. This condition was completely asymptomatic. Despite the fact that the deceased was very old, the giant parietal foramina were recognized. Conclusion: The forensic pathologist must know how to recognize morphological variations of the skull bones, such as foramina parietalia permagna despite their rare occurrence. This benign anomaly could be associated with anomalies of cerebral venous development and cortical infolding, or asymptomatic as in the presented case. This anomaly of parietal bones could be a useful tool in the identification of forensic cases.