Macrocephaly

Last revised by Yuranga Weerakkody on 12 Sep 2023

Macrocephaly is a clinical and radiological term that refers to a generalized increase in the size of the cranial vault.

This slightly differs from the term megalencephaly which means an increase in the size of the brain parenchyma. 

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In some individuals a large head is normal or something that is familial.

However in others it is related to a syndrome, and other features may be present, see long list of causes below. 

In an infant it can result from a wide range of causes:

Some define the condition on skull radiography when the head circumference is more than two standard deviations above the mean or exceeds the 97th percentile by at least 5 mm 4-7.

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