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Unusual foramen in the middle cranial fossae of adult black South African skull specimens

  • Anatomic Variations
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Abstract

Variations of the skull base foramina are quite common and often cause surgical confusion during surgical intervention of the region. The unusual foramen was observed in five (0.98%) adult skulls of black South Africans obtained from the Raymond A Dart collection of human specimens housed in the School of Anatomical Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand. Three of the five specimens were females while the remaining two were males. In four of the five skulls, the unusual foramen was located anterolateral to the foramen rotundum both on the left and right sides. In the fifth specimen, the foramen was located posterolateral to the foramen rotundum on the left half of the middle cranial fossa. On radiographs, two specimens with unusual foramen on the right showed that the foramen opened into a canal directed inferomedially towards the pterygopalatine fossa. In the remaining three specimens, the canals were blind and shallow. This information is vital during interpretation of CT scans at the base of the skull, as any less well-known foramen may be mistaken for abnormalities leading to surgical complications.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Brendon Billings for his assistance with the preparation of the specimens at the Raymond A Dart Collection of Human Skeletons of the School of Anatomical Sciences and Dr. Masumbuko for her useful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Park Town, 2193, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Pedzisai Mazengenya

  2. Anatomy Cluster, Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, Modderdam Road, Private Bag X17, Bellville, Cape Town, 7535, South Africa

    Okobi Ekpo

Authors
  1. Pedzisai Mazengenya
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  2. Okobi Ekpo
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Correspondence to Pedzisai Mazengenya.

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This work was undertaken in accordance with the University of the Witwatersrand Ethics Committee on the use of human cadaver and skeletal remains for teaching and research, Ethics Reference Number W-CJ-101109-9.

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Mazengenya, P., Ekpo, O. Unusual foramen in the middle cranial fossae of adult black South African skull specimens. Surg Radiol Anat 39, 815–818 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-016-1780-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-016-1780-0

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