Morphological characteristics of foramen Vesalius in dry adult human skulls

Abstract

Introduction. The foramen Vesalius is a variable foramen located at the skull base, anteromedial to the foramen ovale behind and lateral to the foramen rotundum. This foramen is also known as emissary sphenoidal foramen. The aim of the research was to determine the anatomical characteristics of the foramen Vesalius in adult human skulls and foramina classification according to their type, shape, and sex distribution. Material and Methods. The study included 26 dry adult human skulls of both sexes from the collection of the Depart?ment of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Novi Sad. The skulls were macroscopically analyzed according to the presence or absence of the foramen Vesalius. Results. The foramen Vesalius was found in 16 skulls (61.54%) and it was absent in 10 skulls (38.46%). The incidence of bilateral and unilateral foramen Vesalius was 87.5% (14 skulls) and 12.5% (2 skulls), respectively. The foramen Vesalius was found in 10 male skulls (62.5%) and in 6 female skulls (37.5%). Conclusion. Based on the morphological analysis of the skulls, the study showed that the foramen of Vesalius can be unilateral or bilateral. The bilateral foramen was more common and it was usually round and symmetrical. In regard to the sex prevalence, the foramen was more prevalent in male than in female skulls. The results of the study showed that foramen Vesalius is not an uncommon anatomical variation, and its presence and morphological appearance are important information for physicians in various fields.

Foramen of Vesalius - constant or variable foramen

“…In this study, which included digital data of 500 CT scans of adults, the presence of the FV was detected in 67.7% of cases. These results are similar with those reported by Görürgöz et al [4] with 73.1% presence, Maletin et al [9] in which FV was present in 61.54% of dry adult skulls, and with the study of Lanzieri et al [10], Raval et al [11], where the FV was present in 64% and 60% of the respondents. In their research, Shinohara et al [12] and Shaik et al [13] state that the foramen representation is 33.75% and 36%, respectively, which is less than the results of our study.…”

The sphenoidal emissary foramina prevalence: a meta-analysis of 6,369 subjects

“…Therefore, it is important in neurosurgical procedures, such as in FO cannulation for trigeminal nerve rhizotomy, as well as pathway of spreading Fig. 1 Flow chart depicting the systematic search results from the relevant studies' identification and selection of extracranial infections into the cavernous sinus [22,25,35]. The SEF occurrence varies widely among different studies' samples [13].…”

“…As per its content, SEF transmits a sphenoidal emissary vein (SEV) connecting the pterygoid venous plexus to the cavernous sinus [ 24 ]. Therefore, it is important in neurosurgical procedures, such as in FO cannulation for trigeminal nerve rhizotomy, as well as pathway of spreading of extracranial infections into the cavernous sinus [ 22 , 25 , 35 ]. The SEF occurrence varies widely among different studies’ samples [ 13 ].…”