Abstract
The anterolateral triangle is one of 10 surgical triangles of the cavernous sinus and serves as an important anatomic landmark for the skull base surgeon. There are few studies in the English literature that have precisely defined and measured the borders of the anterolateral triangle and little agreement has been made regarding the nomenclature within the English literature. A total of 12 midsagittally hemisected adult human cadaveric head halves were dissected to expose the anterolateral triangle. The triangle was defined and measurements of the anterior, posterior, and lateral borders were taken. The mean lengths and standard deviations of the anterior, posterior, and lateral borders were 8.3 ± 2.2 mm, 5.9 ± 2.0 mm, and 11.5 ± 2.9 mm, respectively. The mean area and standard deviation were 20.46 ± 9.30 mm2. The anterolateral triangle is helpful in understanding and planning surgical approaches to the cavernous sinus and middle cranial fossa. As such, normal anatomic relationships and the sizes of the anterolateral triangle must first be recognized to better access the pathologic changes within and around this region.
Highlights
There are 10 well-recognized surgical triangles surrounding the cavernous sinus
The anterolateral triangle is helpful in understanding and planning surgical approaches to the cavernous sinus and middle cranial fossa
The borders of these triangles are roughly formed by cranial nerves (CN) II through VI and serve as important anatomic landmarks for the skull base surgeon
Summary
There are 10 well-recognized surgical triangles surrounding the cavernous sinus. The borders of these triangles are roughly formed by cranial nerves (CN) II through VI and serve as important anatomic landmarks for the skull base surgeon. These triangles are helpful in understanding and planning surgical approaches to the cavernous sinus and middle cranial fossa [1]. The 10 triangles can be subdivided into three groups: cavernous sinus triangles, middle fossa triangles, and paraclival triangles. The cavernous sinus triangles consist of the (1) oculomotor, (2) clinoidal, (3) supratrochlear, and (4) infratrochlear (Parkinson’s) triangles. The paraclival triangles consist of the (9) inferomedial and (10) inferolateral triangles [1]
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