Abstract
Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine the presence of post-glenoid foramen in human skulls.
 Methods: The study was carried out in 100 adult dry human skulls with 200 temporal bones on each side (right and left) which were collected from the Department of Anatomy at RVS Dental College and Hospital, Coimbatore. The selected skulls were placed on a flat table and the considerable foramen was visually identified by two investigators. The foramen was examined by a probing method to find out its patency.
 Results: Of 100 skulls (200 temporal bones), only one skull showed a unilateral post-glenoid foramen on the mandibular fossa of the left side temporal bone (2% of 200).
 Conclusion: The emissary veins are considered as an important encephalic venous drainage that connects the intracranial and extracranial venous pathway through emissary foramen. If there is little variation, and rare occurrence of the emissary foramen may cause serious pathological condition. Thereby, the present study highlights one of the rare emissary foramen, the post-glenoid foramen. This anatomical study of post-glenoid foramen may help the surgeons while operating temporomandibular joint and inner ear malformation to avoid the risk of accidental bleeding during surgery.
Highlights
The post-glenoid foramen is an emissary foramen which is rarely found in humans
It lies anterior to the external acoustic meatus in the line of fusion of the squamous and tympanic parts of the temporal bone [1]
The selected skulls were placed on a flat table in the dissection hall and the considerable foramen was visually identified by two investigators
Summary
It lies anterior to the external acoustic meatus in the line of fusion of the squamous and tympanic parts of the temporal bone [1]. It is called as foramen jugulare spurium or foramen retroarticulare. If present, it transmits the petrosquamous sinus. The petrosquamous sinus is an emissary vein connecting the intra and extracranial venous networks. It arises from the dorsolateral portion of the transverse sinus, before the confluence of the transverse sinus with the superior petrosal sinus. Courses over the superolateral surface of the petrous bone, either within an osseous groove or a complete canal called a temporal canal of Vergi [2]
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