Related Experiment Videos
Parietal foramina are not synonymous with giant parietal foramina
R Shane Tubbs1, Matthew D Smyth, W Jerry Oakes
1Department of Cell Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala. 35233, USA. richard.tubbs@ccc.uab.edu
Pediatric Neurosurgery
|August 29, 2003
Summary
Enlarged parietal foramina, rare anatomical variations, can coexist with normal-sized parietal foramina. This finding challenges the long-held belief that enlarged foramina are simply larger versions of typical ones.
Area of Science:
- Anatomy
- Craniology
Background:
- Enlarged parietal foramina were historically considered enlarged versions of normal parietal foramina (diameter > 5.0 mm).
- These foramina typically transmit emissary veins connecting occipital veins to the superior sagittal sinus.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between enlarged parietal foramina and normal parietal foramina.
- To challenge existing hypotheses regarding the nature of enlarged parietal foramina.
Main Methods:
- Examination of over 500 cadaveric specimens (wet and dry).
- Observation of simultaneous bilateral enlarged and normal parietal foramina.
Main Results:
- Identified two adult bony calvaria exhibiting both enlarged and normal parietal foramina.
- Demonstrated the co-occurrence of distinct enlarged and normal parietal foramina in the same skull.
Conclusions:
- Enlarged parietal foramina can occur alongside normally sized parietal foramina, albeit rarely.
- This finding refutes the hypothesis that enlarged parietal foramina are solely a matter of increased diameter of normal foramina.