Skull & Cranial Anatomy
Cranium
The cranium is the part of the skull that surrounds the brain.
In short: Cranium
- "Cranial" means relating to the cranium.
- Cranial encephaloceles involve the bones around the brain.
- It is distinct from the facial bones.
- Terms like "cranioplasty" and "cranial neural tube defect" refer to this region.
What it is
It is the brain-enclosing portion of the skull, as opposed to the facial skeleton. Many medical terms in encephalocele care use "cranial" to refer to this region.
Understanding Cranium
Terms like "cranial neural tube defect" and "cranioplasty" refer to this region, and the cranium is where convexity and many other encephaloceles occur. The cranium is built from several bones joined by sutures, and the encephalocele defect is an abnormal opening in this framework rather than one of the normal joints.
Why it matters
Recognizing what "cranial" means helps families interpret the many terms built on the word — from the type of defect to the type of surgery — and understand that they all refer to the brain-surrounding part of the skull.
Common questions
Is cranium the same as skull?
The cranium is the brain-surrounding part of the skull.
What does "cranial" mean?
Relating to the cranium.
Which encephaloceles involve the cranium?
Convexity types and many others.
Bottom line
The cranium is the brain-enclosing part of the skull and the site of many encephaloceles.
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