Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Neurosurgery. 2010 Feb;66(2):385-8; discussion 388. doi: 10.1227/01.NEU.0000363407.78399.BA.
To further elucidate the importance of anatomic variations in morphology of the foramen magnum and associated clinical implications, we conducted a morphometric study.
Seventy-two dry skulls were used for this study. Digital images were obtained of the foramen magnum from an inferior view. These images were studied using a computer-assisted image analysis system. Next, an image processor was used to calculate pixel differences between 2 selected points, which allowed accurate translation of pixel differences into metric measurements.
We found that the mean surface area of the foramen magnum was 558 mm, the mean anteroposterior diameter was 3.1 cm, and the mean horizontal diameter was 2.7 cm. For comparison, surface areas were classified into 3 types based on size. Type I foramina were identified in 20.8% of the dry skulls (15 skulls) and exhibited a surface area of less than 500 mm2. Type II (66.6%, 48 skulls) was applied to foramina of an intermediate size with surface areas ranging between 500 to 600 mm2. Type III (12.5%, 9 skulls) was applied to large foramina with surface areas of more than 600 mm2.
These data may be of use as a morphometric database for description of "normal" variants of foramen magnum morphology.
为了进一步阐明枕骨大孔形态的解剖学变异的重要性及其相关的临床意义，我们进行了一项形态计量学研究。
本研究使用了 72 个头骨。从下方获得枕骨大孔的数字图像。使用计算机辅助图像分析系统研究这些图像。然后，使用图像处理器计算两个选定点之间的像素差异，这允许将像素差异准确转换为度量测量。
我们发现，枕骨大孔的平均表面积为 558 平方毫米，前后直径为 3.1 厘米，水平直径为 2.7 厘米。为了进行比较，根据大小将表面积分为 3 种类型。I 型孔在 20.8%的干燥颅骨（15 个头骨）中被识别，其表面积小于 500 平方毫米。II 型（66.6%，48 个头骨）适用于表面积在 500 到 600 平方毫米之间的中等大小的孔。III 型（12.5%，9 个头骨）适用于表面积超过 600 平方毫米的大孔。
这些数据可以作为枕骨大孔形态的“正常”变异的形态计量数据库使用。
