Investigation of the foramen venosum morphology on cone beam computerized tomography images

The foramen venosum (FV) has clinical importance due to its close proximity to the cranial openings in the middle cranial fossa. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine incidence, morphology and variations of FV on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images for providing detailed information about its anatomy to be used in surgical planning. A total of 250 CBCT images of 150 males and 100 females with a mean age of 43.76±16.31 (age range, 18-87) from the archives of Gaziantep University Faculty of Dentistry were retrospectively analyzed. In the study, the presence or absence of FV was first determined and its shape was noted. The long (FV-LD) and short (FV-SD) axis diameters of FV were measured. In addition, distances of FV from the foramen ovale (FV-FO-D), foramen spinosum (FV-FS-D) and midline (FV-OH-D) were measured. The relationships of FV with FO, pterygoid canal (CP) and sphenoid sinus (SS) were examined. FV was observed in 120 (48%) of 250 images. Of these, 77 (30.8%) were unilateral, and 43 (17.2%) were bilateral. 3 (1.2%) of unilateral FVs had double (duplicated). Unilateral FVs were significantly higher than bilateral FVs (p=0.002). According to sex, unilateral FVs were found to be significantly higher in males than females (p=0.001). FVs were observed as oval (48.2%), round (26.5%), irregular (14.5%) and pinhole (10.8%) from greater to lesser. The mean values of FV-LD, FV-SD, FV-FO-D, FV-FS-D ve FV-OH-D were measured as 1.73±0.81 mm, 1.07±0.45 mm, 1.72±0.77 mm, 10.98±1.60 mm, and 19.57±1.81 mm, respectively. From a total of 166 FV detected on both sides, 12 (7.2%) associated with FO, 40 (24.1%) with CP and 7 (4.2%) with SS. This study provides useful information for planning surgical procedures as well as anatomical information about FV.