Unilateral Parietal Bone Thickening in a Young Female Donor With a History of a Malignant Brain Neoplasm

Calvarial thickening can occur as a reaction to various intracranial conditions, most commonly due to chronic pressure from adjacent mass lesions. We report the case of a 21-year-old female cadaver found to have unilateral thickening of the right parietal bone during routine anatomy lab dissection. The available medical history noted a malignant brain tumor. Measurements showed the right parietal bone to be 7.2 mm thick, which is greater than what is considered normal. No other skeletal abnormalities were noted. The isolated thickening is most consistent with tumor-related osteoblastic activity. This case underscores the value of examining post-mortem bony changes to better understand intracranial disease.