oxycephaly

A type of craniosynostosis in which there is premature closure of the lambdoid and coronal sutures, resulting in an abnormally high, peaked, or conical skull. SYN: acrocephalia, acrocephaly, hypsicephaly, hypsocephaly, oxycephalia, steeple skull, tower skull, turricephaly. [G. oxys, pointed, + kephale, head]

* * *

oxy·ceph·a·ly -'sef-ə-lē n, pl -lies congenital deformity of the skull due to early synostosis of the parietal and occipital bones with compensating growth in the region of the anterior fontanel resulting in a pointed or pyramidal skull called also acrocephaly, turricephaly

oxy·ce·phal·ic -si-'fal-ik adj

* * *

n.

a deformity of the bones of the skull giving the head a pointed appearance. See craniosynostosis.

• oxycephalic adj.

* * *

oxy·ceph·a·ly (ok″se-sefґə-le) [oxy- + -cephaly] a condition in which the top of the head is pointed or conical owing to premature closure of the coronal and lambdoid sutures. Called also acrocephaly, hypsicephaly, turricephaly, steeple head or skull, and tower head or skull. oxycephalic, oxycephalous adj