A Morphometry of Jugular Foramen in Adult dry skulls

Abstract

Background: The jugular foramen is a bony canal in the posterior cranial fossa, located between the temporal and occipital bones at the posterior end of the petro-occipital fissure, above and lateral to the foramen magnum. The foramen divides into a large posterolateral compartment, the sigmoid part, which contains the sigmoid sinus accompanied by a meningeal branch of the occipital artery; and a small anteromedial compartment, the petrosal part, which contains the inferior petrosal sinus accompanied by a meningeal branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery. The glossopharyngeal, vagus, and accessory nerves course between the petrosal part and sigmoid part, lying medial to the intrajugular process. The jugular foramen has constantly fascinated ENT, radiologists, and neurosurgeons because of modern advances in surgical procedures involving skull base and middle ear. The present study was conducted to find morphological features and dimensions of jugular foramen.

Materials and Methods:  We have conducted present study with 102 dry adult skulls which were collected with medical students and departments.  We recorded multiple parameters of jugular foramen with digital vernier callipers - Anteroposterior diameter,  Mediolateral diameter, the fossa width and depth of fossa. All these measurement with help of vernier callipers. All the measurements were taken bilaterally and expressed in Mean+SD.

Results :The jugular foramen depth was measured. Most of the foramina were having depth between 5 and 20 mm. We have also seen the dome of jugular fossa, in 38 skulls out of 102 skulls. We have observed the presence of a prominent superior jugular bulb was present bilaterally. Anterior to Posterior diameter-jugular foramen was 7.26+4.02mm, Medial to Lateral diameter-jugular foramen 16.02+4.26mm, Width-jugular fossa 9.02+3.12mm, Depth of jugular fossa 13.08+3.62mm.

Conclusions: The present study concludes that the morphometric data and variations observed in the present study supports reported morphometric variations. Anatomical variations especially slit like jugular foramen and jugular fossa with high depth may be the reason for unusal clinical diagnosis.