The ossification of the anterior skull base, especially the lamina cribrosa, has been studied by computed tomography and histopathology. Sixteen human fetuses, (referred to our laboratory for pathological examination after spontaneous abortion between 18 and 32 weeks of gestation) and three infants, (1, 2 and 6 years of age, respectively) were examined. The cartilaginous preformation of the anterior skull base creates a 'pseudo-defect' on CT in the coronal plane, even with ultra thin sections and high resolution CT. By the age of 6 years of life this 'artefact' is no longer, as the present ossification of the lamina cribrosa is, by that time, complete.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been used for the characterization of human fetal nasal septa. The images were made from fixed fetal heads from spontaneous abortions of different gestational age. The "in-plane" resolution of the images (at a pixel size of 312 x 312 microns2) allowed a detailed anatomical analysis of the midfacial structures of the fetal heads. In T2-weighted midsagittal sections a low signal intensity region of the septal cartilage could be seen. This part was shown to consist of immature proliferating cartilage by histochemical methods and contrasted to mature resting tissue at the rim of the septum. Direct comparison of the MR images with histological sections demonstrated the potential of MRI in pre- and postoperative evaluation of patients requiring surgical reconstruction of either traumatic or congenital defects of the face.
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