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Published on: May 19, 2015
Comparison of Temporal Fossa Volume in Young Versus Senescent Human Skulls
Yue Zhao1, Rao V Chundury, Julian D Perry
1Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
Purpose:
To determine whether bony changes in the temporal fossa occur with age.
Methods:
Human skulls within 2 age groups from the Hamann-Todd collection at the Cleveland Natural History Museum (Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.) were studied. The young group of skulls consisted of adults aged 18 to 30 years, and the senescent group of skulls consisted of individuals aged over 69 years. A modeling compound molded to each temporal fossa in an identical fashion was weighed as a proxy for volume. Calipers measured temporal fossa width and length, and the zygoma circumference was measured at 3 locations on each skull. A protractor determined the internal and external angles of the zygomatic bone for each skull.
Results:
Each group contained 49 skulls. The average age was 23 years (range, 18-28 years) in the young skull group and 80 years (range, 72-96 years) in the senescent group. There were 62 (63%) African American skulls and 36 (37%) Caucasian skulls. There were 30 (31%) female skulls. Mean temporal fossa compound weight was 58.5 g in the young group and 59.5 g in the senescent group (p = 0.58). The differences in temporal fossa length and width were not statistically significant between the 2 age groups (p = 0.92 and p = 0.49, respectively). There were no significant differences in the bony dimensions of the zygoma or frontozygomatic suture between the 2 age groups, or in the internal or the external zygomatico-frontal angles (p = 0.76 and p = 0.96, respectively) between the 2 age groups.
Conclusion:
Temporal fossa bony anatomy remains stable with age, and expansion of this space does not contribute to temporal hollows. Current and future treatments for temporal hollows should be designed with these finding in mind.
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