Morphology and Morphometric Study of Superior Orbital Fissure in Dried Human Skulls

Abstract

Introduction: Superior Orbital Fissure (SOF) is the major gateway into the orbit from the cranial cavity. Important nerves and vessels pass through it. Variation in the shape and its measurements greatly influence the course and distribution of these structures. Aim: To study the dried human skulls and observe the shape of the SOF and to measure the supero-medial and supero-lateral edges along with the distance between them. Materials and Methods: This study was cross-sectional, conducted over a period of one year starting from July 2019 to June 2020 at Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, on fifty- one dried human skulls which were thoroughly examined and their shape was noted and photographed. The measurements were taken using Vernier calliper and statistically analysed using Microsoft Excel with frequency (n) and percentage (%) analysis. Results: The predominant shape was type VI on both right and left sides. The mean superomedial edge height was 10.07±0.85 mm on right and 9.72±0.71 mm on left side. The mean superolateral edge height was 3.76±0.75 mm on right and 3.65±0.87mm on left side. The mean distance between superomedial to superolateral edges was 19.52±0.65 mm on right side and 19.01±0.65 mm on left side. Conclusion: Nine different shapes of superior orbital fissure were found in the study and type VI was the most frequently observed shape. The study did not find any difference between the widths of the right and the left SOF in dried human skulls.