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Comprehensive review of the mastoid foramen

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Abstract

Anatomical variations of the mastoid foramen have been observed to vary in a number of qualities including size, number, and location. These variants have the potential to become problematic during surgical approaches to the posterior cranial fossa and mastoid part of the temporal bone, and should thus be appreciated by the surgeon. Herein, we discuss the mastoid foramen in detail including issues with such foramina that should be known to the neurosurgeon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Tulane University School of Medicine, 131 S. Robertson St. Suite 1300, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Cindy Wang, Joseph Lockwood, Joe Iwanaga, Aaron S. Dumont & R. Shane Tubbs

  2. Department of Neurosurgery and Ochsner Neuroscience Institute, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Joseph Lockwood, C. J. Bui & R. Shane Tubbs

  3. Department of Structural & Cellular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    R. Shane Tubbs

  4. Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George’s University, St. George’s, West Indies, Grenada

    R. Shane Tubbs

Authors
  1. Cindy Wang
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  2. Joseph Lockwood
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  3. Joe Iwanaga
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  4. Aaron S. Dumont
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  5. C. J. Bui
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  6. R. Shane Tubbs
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Correspondence to Joe Iwanaga.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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The protocol of the study did not require approval by the ethical committees or informed consent. The study followed the Declaration of Helsinki (64th WMA General Assembly, Fortaleza, Brazil, October 2013).

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Wang, C., Lockwood, J., Iwanaga, J. et al. Comprehensive review of the mastoid foramen. Neurosurg Rev 44, 1255–1258 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10143-020-01329-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10143-020-01329-9

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