NORMAL-CHILDREN WITH LARGE HEADS - BENIGN FAMILIAL MEGALENCEPHALY

Fifteen normal children with large heads (circumference > 0.5 cm above the 98th centile) were studied. CAT [computerized axial homography] scans were performed to exclude hydrocephalus, and ventricular size was compared with that of hydrocephalic children. In 11 of the 13 families in which the parents'' heads were measured, 1 parent (10 fathers and 1 mother) had a large head, as did 6 of 17 siblings. Head circumference at birth was large in 7 of 10 babies and rate of head growth was excessive in 8 of 13. Skull X-ray showed suture diastasis in 7 infants. These families have a benign familial megalencephaly. It is important to recognize this to avoid unnecessary investigation and anxiety about normal children with large heads.