Morphometric and morphological analyses, and anatomical variations of foramina in the intracranial cavity of fixed cadaveric skulls

Objectives: The aim of our study is to examine the foramina and distance to essential anatomical landmarks in the three parts of the intracranial cavity. And we investigated the differences of foramina based on gender and body side and their potantial effects. Methods: The foramina were investigated in intracranial cavity bilaterally in 30 adult formalin-fixed cadaveric heads, 23 (76.6%) males and 7 (23.3%) females. The lengths, depth, diameters, distance to each other, and distance to skull (mm), were measured on both sides. The transverse and vertical diameters of the fixed cadaveric skulls were measured to calculate the cranial index (CI). Results: The depth of Optic Canal (OC), the width of Internal Auditory Meatus (IAM) and distance from the midline of the accessory Hypoglossal Canal (HC) were greater compared to the right side (p<0.05). Conversely, on the left side, the location of the HC and accessory HC relative to the skull were greater than on the left side (p<0.05). Additionally, positive correlations were observed between the length and diameters of certain cranial nerves, indicating potential relationships between their structural characteristics. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated a significant difference between parameters based on the sides, indicating an asymmetric distribution among the parameters in the cranial base. On the other hand, when comparing the measurements between males and females, distinct differences were observed, indicating sexual dimorphism. These findings and correlations contribute to the understanding of their interrelationships.