Tense fontanelle

A palpable, protuberant, and tense fontanelle caused by increased pressure beneath the infant skull, most often reflecting elevated intracranial pressure or intracranial pathology.

Causes

• Physiological causes

  • Crying

  • Vomiting

  • Coughing

  • Supine or dependent positioning

• Infectious causes

  • Meningitis/encephalitis (cerebral edema)

  • Brain abscess

• Cerebrospinal fluid and pressure-related causes

  • Hydrocephalus

  • Pseudotumor cerebri (idiopathic intracranial hypertension)

• Hemorrhagic and traumatic causes

  • Intracranial hemorrhage

  • Traumatic brain injury

  • Shaken baby syndrome

• Brain tumor