Morphometric analysis of the orbit and orbital structures with three-dimensional multidetector computed tomography

Anatomic characteristics of orbit and the soft tissue therein may exhibit differences. The purpose of this study is to build an academic knowledge base for Radiology and Anatomy disciplines, and to encourage and provide a foundation for new works with more extensive scientific gains. In this study, face, head and maxillofacial BT (160-slice MDBT) images of 100 people (58 males, 42 females) taken between 2008 and 2014 and kept in the digital radiology archives of Afyon Kocatepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, were retrospectively evaluated. In this study rectus muscles were measured on coronal plane, while other parameters were measured on axial plane. Parameters other than "skull transvers diameter", "interzygomatic line length" and "minimum distance between medial walls of orbit" were measured bilaterally. Comparisons were made between decades, gender, parameters and both orbit. In grading of decades, parametres "minimum distance between medial walls of orbit" and "left m.rectus inferior" were found to be statistically meaningful. Statistically meaningful differences were found in comparison of minimum distance between medial walls of orbit parameter between 3rd and 6th decades, and left m.rectus inferior parameter between 8th decade and 2nd, 3rd and 4th decades. In comparison of female and male groups in regard of parameters, the parameters "maximum distance between internal and external walls of right orbit", "maximum distance between internal and external walls of left orbit", "maximum distance between upper and lower walls of right orbit", "distance between right for.infraorbital and lower wall of orbit", "distance between left for.infraorbital and lower wall of orbit", "interzygomatic line length", "skull transvers diameter", "left m.rectus superior", "right m.rectus lateralis", "left m.rectus lateralis" and "right optical nerve width" exhibited statistically meaningful differences between the groups. In comparison of parameters of right and left orbit, the parameters "maximum distance between internal and external walls of orbit" and "maximum distance between upper and lower walls of orbit" were found to be statistically meaningful. The relations between "skull transvers diameter" and "interzygomatic line length", "skull transvers diameter" and "maximum distance between internal and external walls of right orbit", "interzygomatic line length" and "maximum distance between internal and external walls of left orbit" and "maximum distance between internal and external walls of right orbit" were found to be statistically meaningful. We believe the results obtained in this study will contribute to and clinical evaluations in clinical disciplines like forensic medicine, ophthalmic surgery, plastics surgery, etc. and serve as a foundation for academic studies in these fields. In addition, we believe that this study focusing on local population will add to morphometric database and thus help shed light on the studies made in radiology, anatomy and anthropology disciplines. Keywords: CT, diameter, morphometry, optic nerve, orbit.