Abstract

Background: One of the important hiatus located at the base of the skull is the jugular foramen. It is situated between the petrosal portion of the temporal bone and the occipital bone. Some important nervous and vascular structures, such as the glossopharyngeal, vagus, accessory nerves, and the internal jugular vein passes through it. Pathological lesions such as glomic tumors, schwannomas, metastatic lesions and infiltrating inflammatory processes are associated with this foramen, which can account for injuries of related structures. The advancement of modern diagnostic procedures and the introduction of new surgical approaches has created a necessity for detailed anatomical studies of the foramen. Materials and methods: The present study was conducted on 100 dried human skull bones of unknown age and gender obtained from the Department of Anatomy, Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Ballari, Haveri Institute of medical Sciences, Haveri, Karnataka, India. The length, width and area of jugular foramen were noted. Presence of septation(complete or partial) and dome was observed macroscopically. Results: The mean length of jugular foramen was 23.89±3.01mm and 20.92±3.96mm on the right and left sides respectively. While the width was found to be 7.69±1.62mm and 6.99±1.91mm on the right and left sides respectively. The mean area on the right was 574.28±90.82cmm and on the left was 481.22±111.41cmm. The complete septation of jugular foramen was present on right side in 5% and on left side in 4% and bilaterally in 3%. Partial or incomplete septation on right side in 45% and on left side in 48% and bilaterally in 42%. The dome of jugular foramen was present in 29% of skulls on right side, 24% of skulls on left side, in 14% of skulls bilaterally and it was absent in 11% of skulls. Conclusion: The variations observed in jugular foramen are of immense value to neurosurgeons, radiologists, cardiologists and anthropologists. Key words: Jugular foramen, dome, septation, internal jugular vein, skull.

Description