The spheno-occipital synchondrosis is the plate of hyaline cartilage joining the body of the sphenoid bone to the basilar part of the occipital bone in the middle of the skull base. It is one of the main growth centres of the cranial base, lengthening the clivus and moving the face forward during childhood. It turns to bone during adolescence, after which the two bones are fused.
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Because it is a growth centre, the synchondrosis influences the length of the cranial base and the position of the upper jaw, which matters in orthodontics and in craniofacial conditions. In achondroplasia, early fusion of the skull base synchondroses contributes to a short cranial base and a narrow foramen magnum, which can compress the brainstem. On CT in children and teenagers, the open synchondrosis must not be mistaken for a fracture of the clivus. Its fusion stage on CT is also used to help estimate age in forensic work.
Premature fusion of skull base synchondroses in achondroplasia leaves a small foramen magnum that can compress the brainstem and upper spinal cord in infancy, sometimes requiring surgical decompression.
A fracture of the central skull base from high-energy head injury, which must be distinguished from the open synchondrosis in young patients and may injure the brainstem, cranial nerves or basilar artery.
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