Incidence and Medicolegal Significance of Wormian Bones in Human Skulls in North India Region

INTRODUCTION: Wormian bones (Wbs) are small bones located in or near the sutures of the skull which are irregular in size, shape, and number. The present study is to look into the morphological details of such supernumerary bones of skull with regards to their incidence, number, and topography in skulls from the Haryana region. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This observational study was carried out in the tertiary care hospital, in the region of Haryana and the total of 147 human skulls were examined during routine autopsy procedures with respect to sutures and topographic distribution of Wbs. The data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: In the present study, the overall incidence of Wbs was seen in 52 skulls (35.3%) with males having 23.8% and females having 11.5%. CONCLUSION: The knowledge of incidence and distribution of Wbs in the skull could be useful to radiologists, causality medical officers, and autopsy surgeons in successfully differentiating a skull fracture from normal suture with Wbs or exit gunshot wound from fractured small Wb and thus ruling out the possibilities of presence or absence of fractures due to physical abuse, brittle bones, and exit gunshot wounds. It is also helpful to neurosurgeons in timely diagnosis and management of diseases or fractures in relation to the Wbs.