No abstract

Introduction: vertebral arteries (VA) are the formation factors of the Transverse Foramens (TF) and the largerst anatomical structures that occupy them. Variations in the presence, size and course of VAs affect the morphology of TFs considerably, besides being the probable cause of formation of the accessory transverse foramen (ATF). Knowledge of the presence of the ATF and its variations are important for a safe surgery. Material and Methods: the present study has analyzed 165 cervical vertebrae. The ATF has been classified as unilateral or bilateral, complete or incomplete and anterior, posterior or lateral regarding the transverse foramen of the respective cervical vertebrae analyzed. Quantitative data was collected through a digital caliper. Results: 36 (21.82%) of the vertebrae presented the ATF, with 25 (15.15%) of them carrying the ATF unilaterally, while the remaining 11 (6.67%) had the foramen bilaterally. 28 (59.57%) ATF were classified as incomplete and 19 (40.43%) were classified as complete. 44 (93.62%) were identified as posterior and 3 (6.38%) were anterior to the TF. Regarding the morphometric data, there was no difference between the longitudinal measurement (LM) and transverse measurement (TM) on the right and left sides of the vertebrae analyzed. Conclusion: it has been shown for the first time the prevalence of ATF in individuals in a population of Northeastern Brazil. The morphological knowledge can be surgical and clinically important as it may suggest alterations in the vertebral artery and in the venous plexuses that surround it in its vertebral segment of passage in the transverse foramina.

Introduction: The sella turcica is a structure of the median region of the sphenoid bone. Variations in its morphology are relevant as it is a region subjected to several surgical procedures, mainly related to the pituitary gland. Objective: To analyze the morphology of the sella turcica and its sexual dimorphism in Northeastern Brazil. Methods: Fifteen human skulls from the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) were used. The qualitative analysis was performed by classifying the shape of the sella turcica into three types: U, J and flattened. Morphometric data was collected and statistically analyzed to evaluate the relationship between sella morphometry and gender, and between sella and skull measurements. Values of p< 0.05) in the sella turcica length (STL) and skull length (SL), with male skulls being larger in both cases. The other linear measurements didn’t show differences between the sexes (p>0.05). There was a positive linear correlation between STL and SL, and a negative linear correlation between sella turcica width (STW) and sella turcica height (STH) and between STH and bitemporal width (BTW). Conclusion: The results point to important differences in the morphometric parameters evaluated with original findings for this population. Knowledge of the morphology of the sella is essential to plan safer surgical approaches in the pituitary gland or related anatomical structures.

No abstract