Occipital emissary foramina in human skulls: an anatomical investigation with reference to surgical anatomy of emissary veins

Abstract Background and Aims: Occipital emissary veins are important sources of bleeding during skull base surgeries like suboccipital craniotomies. To prevent such complications it is important to know the topography and incidence of occipital emissary foramina hence the present study aims to find the incidence and location of occipital emissary foramina in adult human skulls of Indian origin. Materials and methods: One hundred human skulls from the collection of Department of Anatomy Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Pondicherry and other medical colleges in and around Pondicherry were evaluated. The bones were examined for incidence of occipital emissary foramina. Number of emissary foramina and their distance from the margin of foramen magnum were noted. The patency of the foramina was confirmed by passing a probe through it. Results: Out of the 100 human adult skull bones examined 14(14%) of them showed patent occipital formina. Six of these foramina were present on the left side and six on the right side of midline. Double occipital foramina were seen in two skulls (2%). All the foramina were in proximity to foramen magnum than to the external occipital protuberance. The average distance of the occipital emissary foramina from the margin of foramen magnum was 1.13cm on the left side and 1.10cm on the right side. Conclusion: The present study has shown that the occipital emissary foramina occur at a higher frequency than what has been described earlier in literature.

Download Full-text

POST-GLENOID FORAMEN: A RARE EMISSARY FORAMEN IN HUMAN SKULL

Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research ◽

10.22159/ajpcr.2020.v13i4.36782 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 42-43

Author(s):

PRIYA G ◽

YASODAI R

Keyword(s):

Pathological Condition ◽

Anatomical Study ◽

Venous Drainage ◽

Rare Occurrence ◽

Human Skull ◽

Inner Ear Malformation ◽

Mandibular Fossa ◽

Emissary Veins ◽

Human Skulls ◽

Temporal Bones

Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine the presence of post-glenoid foramen in human skulls. Methods: The study was carried out in 100 adult dry human skulls with 200 temporal bones on each side (right and left) which were collected from the Department of Anatomy at RVS Dental College and Hospital, Coimbatore. The selected skulls were placed on a flat table and the considerable foramen was visually identified by two investigators. The foramen was examined by a probing method to find out its patency. Results: Of 100 skulls (200 temporal bones), only one skull showed a unilateral post-glenoid foramen on the mandibular fossa of the left side temporal bone (2% of 200). Conclusion: The emissary veins are considered as an important encephalic venous drainage that connects the intracranial and extracranial venous pathway through emissary foramen. If there is little variation, and rare occurrence of the emissary foramen may cause serious pathological condition. Thereby, the present study highlights one of the rare emissary foramen, the post-glenoid foramen. This anatomical study of post-glenoid foramen may help the surgeons while operating temporomandibular joint and inner ear malformation to avoid the risk of accidental bleeding during surgery.

Download Full-text

Morphological study of foramen venosum in dry human skulls in Northeast Brazil

10.5327/1516-3180.394 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ivon Marcos Inácio Rodrigues ◽

Desiré Dominique Diniz de Magalhães ◽

André de Sá Braga Oliveira ◽

Pablo Mariz de Oliveira ◽

Amanda do Nascimento Oliveira e Carneiro

Keyword(s):

Morphological Study ◽

Northeast Brazil ◽

Foramen Ovale ◽

Surgical Interventions ◽

Human Adult ◽

High Incidence ◽

Mean Diameter ◽

Emissary Veins ◽

Human Skulls ◽

The Right

Introduction: The foramen venosum (FV) is located in the larger wing of the sphenoid bone and allows the passage of emissary veins that help to balance the intra and extracranial pressure. Knowledge of its morphology and associated structures has an important surgical value. Objective: Analyze the morphology of FV and its relation to adjacent foramina in Northeast Brazil. Methods: 117 human adult skulls of Federal University of Paraíba were classified by gender, FV type and laterality, being evaluated the diameter of FV, foramen ovale (FO) and foramen spinosum (FS), as well as the distance of FO and FS to FV (DFVFO and DFVFS). Values of p≤0.05 were considered significant. Results: 52 (44.4%) skulls (65 sides, 29 on the right and 36 on the left) presented FV, being 63.46% females and 36.53% males. 33.3% of FV were unilateral and 11.1% were bilateral. The FV were mostly oval (50.7%) and round (49.3%) types. Mean diameter of FV was 3.56±0.7mm, FO 7.88±1.16mm, FS 4.01±0.39mm, DFVFO 8.18±1.09mm and DFVFS was 14.54±1.68mm. Only FO (p=0.009) and FS (p=0.001) had significant differences between genres, and DFVFO had among sides (p=0.021). Conclusions: FV has a high incidence in Northeast Brazil, predominantly in females on the left side with oval and round types. Its relation with other foramina showed differences among genres and sides. This shows the relevance of the FV study to minimize the risk of iatrogenic injury during surgical interventions in this region.

Download Full-text

Duplication of hypoglossal canal in North Indian human skulls

International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences ◽

10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20172423 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (6) ◽

pp. 2301

Author(s):

Nafees Fatima ◽

Shamir Rahman ◽

Md. Jawed Akhtar ◽

Vinod Kumar

Keyword(s):

Cranial Nerve ◽

Indian Population ◽

Sleep Apnea Syndrome ◽

Occipital Bone ◽

Morphometric Study ◽

Hypoglossal Canal ◽

Emissary Veins ◽

Cranial Fossa ◽

Different Dimensions ◽

Human Skulls

Background: The hypoglossal canal is one among the permanent components of occipital bone of both human being and animal skull, which transmits the twelfth cranial nerve, meningeal branch of ascending pharyngeal artery and emissary veins. This is commonly known as anterior condylar canal. In some cases, this canal is divided by a bony spicule leading to a variant known as double hypoglossal canal. Such partition of hypoglossal canal predisposes the roots of twelfth cranial nerve to entrapment in the occipital bone during ossification which subsequently may leads to an alteration in the tongue movement as well as speech. The objectives of the present study were to obtain the incidence of the variant of double hypoglossal canal in north Indian population especially in Bihar and compare the incidence of such type of variation in skull of different parts of our country as well as various races of the world.Methods: The present study was carried out on 110 undamaged dry adult human crania of unknown age and sex for any variations in the hypoglossal canal or incidence of double hypoglossal canal.Results: We observed 15 cases (13.63%) of double hypoglossal canal in which 8 (7.27%) specimens had unilateral while 7 (6.36%) specimens had bilateral double hypoglossal canal. Double hypoglossal canal was more common in right side. In 5 cases (4.54%) unilateral bony spicules were seen.Conclusions: The study about the hypoglossal canal and its different variation is very important to clinicians, anatomist, forensic experts as well as anthropologists too. The knowledge about the different dimensions of hypoglossal canal is also very essential for neurosurgeons and radiologist for the planning of the surgeries around the posterior cranial fossa for tumors like schwannoma of hypoglossal nerve and treatment of sleep apnea syndrome. Hence the detailed morphometric study of hypoglossal canal will be helpful for the planning of surgical intervention around the base of skull becomes easier and safer.

Download Full-text