Morphometric analysis of middle and posterior cranial fossae foramina in 3D reconstructions of CT images: A midline asymmetry evaluation

Abstract

Abstract Objective: The cranial base harbours numerous foramina, and the anatomical properties of the foramina are crucial in clinical interventions. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate possible asymmetries regarding the middle and posterior cranial fossae foramina using 3D reconstructions of high-resolution computed tomography (CT) images.

Patients and Methods: High-resolution cranial CT images of 253 female and 287 male adult patients were used in the study. The patients were 18 to 40 years of age without any apparent cranial pathology. The distances from the foramen rotundum, foramen ovale, foramen spinosum, internal acoustic meatus, hypoglossal canal to the midline were measured bilaterally to compare both sides.

Results: The foramen spinosum and the mid-clival line measurements demonstrated statistically significant results favoring the right side (p=0.03, right mean 3.052 +/- 0.253 cm, left mean 2.982 +/- 0.193 cm). In males, the right foramen spinosum to mid-clival line measurements were significantly longer than the left side (p=0.027, right mean 3.150 +/- 0.250 cm, left mean 3.070 +/- 0.180 cm).

Conclusion: As predicted, the male measurements were significantly longer than the female measurements regardless of sides in all measurements. The measurements of cranial asymmetries may help describe anomalies and may contribute to the clinical approaches.