Morphometry of Asterion and its Proximity to Dural Venous Sinuses in Northwest Ethiopian Adult Skulls.

Abstract

The asterion is a craniometric point in the norma lateralis of skull situated at the confluence of parietal, temporal, and occipital bones. The aim of this study is to determine the type and mapping of asterion and its relation with transverse-sigmoid venous sinus junction (TSSJ). Sixty-one dry and intact adult human skulls of unknown sex and age were used. The measurements were implemented using stainless steel sliding vernier caliper. The data were analyzed using SPSS version-20 and independent t-test analysis was implemented. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. In the study, type II was found to be the predominant asterion type. There was statistically significant difference in measurements of central thickness of right and left sides of asterion (P = 0.04, Eta squared = 0.025). Besides, the TSSJ was situated above the asterion and at the level of asterion in 39.34% and 60.66 of the cases, respectively. The Northwest Ethiopian population has a high incidence of type II asterion. In most of the cases, the TSSJ is situated at the level of the asterion. The finding of the present study may be useful to neurosurgeons to reduce the risk during posterior cranial fossa surgeries. This work may also offer worthy information to radiologists, anthropologists, anatomists, and forensic scientists.