Question:medium
When does the basiocciput fuse with the basisphenoid?
When does the basiocciput fuse with the basisphenoid?
Show Hint
The spheno-occipital synchondrosis closes in the late teens to about 21 years.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- 18 to 22 years
- 22 to 25 years
- 14 to 16 years
- 12 to 14 years
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: The query concerns the timing of union of the spheno-occipital junction, a key skull-base landmark for estimating age in skeletal remains.
Step 2: Fusion of the basisphenoid with the basiocciput occurs in the late teens to about twenty-one years, so the 18 to 22 year band correctly captures this window.
Step 3: Because this is one of the later cranial unions, finding it fused tells the examiner that growth is essentially complete and the person is at least in early adulthood.
Step 4: The options at 12 to 14 and 14 to 16 years correspond to earlier developmental events and are therefore incorrect for this particular synchondrosis. \[\boxed{\text{18 to 22 years}}\]
Step 2: Fusion of the basisphenoid with the basiocciput occurs in the late teens to about twenty-one years, so the 18 to 22 year band correctly captures this window.
Step 3: Because this is one of the later cranial unions, finding it fused tells the examiner that growth is essentially complete and the person is at least in early adulthood.
Step 4: The options at 12 to 14 and 14 to 16 years correspond to earlier developmental events and are therefore incorrect for this particular synchondrosis. \[\boxed{\text{18 to 22 years}}\]
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