Considerations:

Frontal bossing is seen only in a few rare syndromes. It is probably best recognized by the public in the disease acromegaly because "acromegalic giants" are seen frequently in movies.

Common Causes:

• congenital syphilis
• acromegaly
• Russell-Silver syndrome (Russell-Silver dwarf)
• Pfeiffer syndrome
• basal cell nevus syndrome
• Crouzon syndrome
• Hurler syndrome
• Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome
• fetal trimethadione syndrome
• cleidocranial dysostosis

Home Care:

There is no home care needed for frontal bossing. Home care for disorders associated with frontal bossing varies with the specific disorder.

Call If:

• you notice that your child’s forehead looks unusually prominent. However, if a disorder if present, earlier symptoms have usually occurred that have required the attention of your health care provider.

What To Expect:

An infant or child with frontal bossing generally has other symptoms and signs that, when taken together, define a specific syndrome or condition. The diagnosis is based on a family history, medical history, and thorough physical evaluation.

Medical history questions documenting frontal bossing in detail may include:

• When did you first notice that the forehead appeared unusually prominent?
• What other symptoms are present?
• Have you noticed any other unusual physical characteristics?
• Has a disorder been identified as the cause of the frontal bossing?
• If so, what was the diagnosis?

Diagnostic tests:
Laboratory studies such as chromosome studies, enzyme assays, X-rays, and metabolic studies may be ordered to confirm the presence of a suspected disorder.