Welcome to International Journal of Anatomy and Research

Type of Article: Original Research

Year: 2015 | Volume 3 | Issue 4 | Page No. 1555-1558

Date of Publication: 30-11-2015

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.16965/ijar.2015.279

MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY ON SHAPES OF PTERION

Pavan P. Havaldar ¹, Shruthi B.N ², Shaik Hussain Saheb *³, Henjarappa K S ⁴.

¹ Associate Professor Department of Anatomy, Gadag Institute of Medical Sciences, Gadag, India.

² Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy , Raja Rajeswari Medical College & Hospital, Bengaluru, India.

^*3 Assistant Professor Department of Anatomy, JJM Medical College, Davangere, India.

⁴ Assistant professor, Department of Anesthesia, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

Address: Shaik Hussain Saheb, Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, JJM Medical College, Davangere, Karnataka, India. Mobile -+91-9242056660.
E-Mail: anatomyshs@gmail.com

Abstract

Background: Pterion is defined as an H-shaped small circular area formed by the junction of four bones: frontal, parietal, temporal and sphenoid on norma lateralis of the skull,  Pterion junction has been used as a common extra-cranial landmark for surgeons in microsurgical and surgical approaches towards important pathologies of this region.  Pterion is an important landmark for anterior branch of middle meningeal artery, Broca’s motor speech area to the left, insula, the lateral cerebral fissure, for the pathologies of optic nerve, orbit, sphenoidal ridge and for the anterior circulation aneurysm and tumors, because of its clinical importance we focused our present study on morphology of shape of pterion.
Materials and Methods: A total of 500 pterions were examined from 250 adult dry skulls. The present study was undertaken in adult south Indian skulls from different regions of south India, from different medical colleges. We have observed different shapes of pterion like sphenoparietal frontotemporal,  stellate and epipteric.
Results: The sutural morphology of the pterion and asterion is important in surgical approaches to the cranial fossae. 250 human skulls of known gender (148 male, 102 female) were examined on both sides. Four types of pterion were observed – sphenoparietal 72.8%, frontotemporal 16.4%, stellate 8.8% and epipteric 2%.
Conclusion: The pterion is points of sutural confluence seen in the norma lateralis of the skull. The patterns of formation exhibit population based variations. The sutural morphology of the pterion  is important in surgical approaches to the cranial fossae. These findings may helpful in surgical approaches and interventions via the pterion.
KEY WORDS: Skull, Pterion, sphenoparietal, frontotemporal, stellate, epipteric. Neurosurgery.

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Pavan P. Havaldar, Shruthi B.N, Shaik Hussain Saheb, Henjarappa K S. MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY ON SHAPES OF PTERION. Int J Anat Res 2015;3(4):1555-1558. DOI: 10.16965/ijar.2015.279