Zdilla Matthew J, Fijalkowski Kristen M
*Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics †Department of Graduate Health Sciences, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV.
J Craniofac Surg. 2017 Mar;28(2):548-551. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000003325.
Several neurosurgical procedures, including rhizotomy for the management of trigeminal neuralgia, cannulate the foramen ovale (FO) to access intracranial structures. Cannulation procedures, including those utilizing neuronavigational technology, are occasionally complicated by anatomical variation of the FO, sometimes resulting in miscannulation and subsequent adverse events. The FO, while commonly thought of as oval-shaped, has also been described as "almond," "banana," "D shape," "pear," and "triangular." Because of the importance of the FO in neurosurgical procedures and the misunderstanding of FO shape, the aim of this study is to objectively describe the shape of the FO and its most likely shape variation. A total of 211 FO were evaluated by geometric morphometric analysis. A consensus shape is presented for the FO. No significant difference was found between the shapes of left- and right-sided FO. The most likely shape variation of the FO occurs as an inverse relationship between the anteromedial-posterolateral and anterolateral-posteromedial aspects of the foramen. The capacity to visualize the average FO shape and understand the most likely shape variance, as illustrated by this report, will aid neurosurgeons in their approach to procedures requiring cannulation of the FO.
包括用于治疗三叉神经痛的神经根切断术在内的几种神经外科手术，需经卵圆孔（FO）插管以进入颅内结构。插管手术，包括那些使用神经导航技术的手术，偶尔会因FO的解剖变异而变得复杂，有时会导致插管失误及随后的不良事件。FO通常被认为是椭圆形的，但也被描述为“杏仁形”“香蕉形”“D形”“梨形”和“三角形”。鉴于FO在神经外科手术中的重要性以及对其形状的误解，本研究的目的是客观描述FO的形状及其最可能的形状变异。通过几何形态测量分析对总共211个FO进行了评估。给出了FO的一致形状。左右两侧FO的形状之间未发现显著差异。FO最可能的形状变异表现为孔的前内侧-后外侧与前外侧-后内侧之间呈反比关系。如本报告所示，能够可视化平均FO形状并了解最可能的形状差异，将有助于神经外科医生进行需要经FO插管的手术。
