Growth of calvarial width. An experimental investigation in rabbits.

This investigation was conducted to analyze growth in width of the rabbit calvarium. 15 male New Zealand white rabbits were subjected to regular stereometric examinations from 31 to 141 days of age after implantation of tantalum bone markers. The sagittal suture complex, i.e. the interfrontal and interparietal sutures, and the bilateral temporal sutures demonstrated similar growth rates in magnitude which moderately decelerated throughout the observation period. Transverse growth exhibited local growth fluctuations and short-term negative growth values in a well-balanced manner.