What is the skull vault?

What is the skull vault?

The cranial vault, also known as the skull vault, skullcap or calvaria, is the cranial space that encases and protects the brain together with the base of the skull. The cranial vault and the base of skull together form the neurocranium.

What does lesions on the skull mean?

Bone lesions are areas of bone that are changed or damaged. Causes of bone lesions include infections, fractures, or tumors. When cells within the bone start to divide uncontrollably, they are sometimes called bone tumors. Most bone lesions are benign, meaning they are not cancerous.

What is a Clival tumor?

Brain and Skull Base Tumors Clival tumors are growths on the clivus, a portion of bone at the base of the skull. When clival tumors grow, they may invade and damage important nearby structures: cranial nerves, the internal carotid arteries and the brainstem, for example.

Why do I have grooves in my skull?

The folds and ridges, that give the appearance of a brain on top of the head, is an indication of an underlying disease: cutis verticis gyrata (CVG). The rare disease causes a thickening of the skin on the top of the head which leads to the curves and folds of the scalp. “There are two forms of it (CVG).

Is a skull lesion a tumor?

Skull base tumors are growths that can form along the base of the skull or directly below the skull base in areas such as the sinuses. Many are benign (noncancerous) and grow slowly over time. In rare cases, a skull base tumor can be cancerous, which means that it is able to spread to other parts of the body.

What are the imaging features of the skull?

Imaging features in the skull include symmetric thinning of the bilateral parietal bones involving the outer table and diploe, giving a scalloped appearance (Fig. 26 ). In cases of progressive bone thinning, cranioplasty may be required [ 60 ]. Parietal thinning.

How are primary bone tumors diagnosed using radiography?

Radiography in the Initial Diagnosis of Primary Bone Tumors. The imaging characteristic that is most reflective of the aggressive (typically malignant) or nonaggressive (typically benign) nature of primary bone tumors is the appearance of the margin, which is an indicator of the growth rate of the lesion [ 3, 4 ].

Which MRI findings are characteristic of skull base lesions?

Skull base lesions are often most noticeable on non-contrast T1-weighted MR images. Some skull base lesions may develop in typical locations and show characteristic signals on MR images; however, variations do occur.

What are benign and malignant lesions of the skull?

Benign lesions comprise fibrous dysplasia, osteoma, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, venous vascular malformation (formerly known as haemangioma) and Paget disease, as well as several others. Malignant lesions typically affecting the skull are metastases, multiple myeloma, osteosarcoma, chordoma and chondrosarcoma.