Morphometric and morphological study of foramen ovale in dry adult human skull bones

Background: One of the important foramen which connects the middle cranial fossa to the infratemporal fossa is the foramen ovale. Structures passing through this foramen are lesser petrosal nerve, mandibular nerve, accessory meningeal artery and an emissary vein which connects the pterygoid venous plexus in the infratemporal fossa to the cavernous sinus. Materials and Methods: This study was done by using 100 dry adult human skull bones taken from the Anatomy Department, V.I.M.S., Ballari, Karnataka, India. Anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the foramen ovale were measured. Different shapes of the foramina and any bony growth around its margins were noted. Duplication of the foramen was observed. Results: Out of 200 sides in 100 adult dry human skull, average transverse and anteroposterior diameters of foramen ovale was 3.50±0.842mm and 6.4±1.471mm on left side and on right side was 3.54±0.569mm and 6.5±1.398mm. Oval shaped foramina were 60%, almond shape were 25%, round shape were 13% and slit like foramina were 2%. 11% of foramina had spines, 5% had tubercles and 10% had a bony plate. Duplication of the foramen was seen in one skull on the right side. Conclusion: Our present study may be of immense importance in cases of neurovascular compression due to abnormal bony growth, fine needle aspiration technique in perineural spread of tumor and in trigeminal neuralgia. Keywords: Foramen Ovale, Middle Cranial Fossa, Mandibular Nerve, Trigeminal Neuralgia