DURING 1946 several children with craniofenestria associated with spina bifida were admitted to the pediatric clinic of the Binnengasthuis in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In association with Dr. G. A. Fehmers, we had the opportunity to study closely several cases of this anomaly.
Like several other investigators (Vogt and Wyatt,1 Hartley and Burnett,2 and Wieland3), we formed the opinion that this condition, though seldom recognized, is actually commoner than is generally thought.
In lacuna skull and craniofenestria (Lückenschädel), there are congenital bony defects in the skull. In lacuna skull these defects are restricted to the diploe and the inner table. No abnormality may be seen in the skull during life. Palpation reveals at the site of the defects a "springy" feeling, such as that in craniotabes (ping-pong-ball phenomenon). Post mortem, the lacunas show up clearly with transmitted light. They appear to be bordered with strong, bony ridges, which give