Morphological And Morphometric Analysis Of Jugular Foramen In Dry Human Skull In Uttarakhand

Introduction: The jugular foramen lies at the posterior end of the petro-occipital suture between the jugular process of the occipital bone and jugular fossa of the petrous part of the temporal bone which allows the passage of important nervous and vascular elements, such as the glossopharyngeal nerve, vagus nerve, accessory nerves and the internal jugular vein. Glomic tumors, schwannomas, metastatic lesions and infiltrating inflammatory processes are associated with this foramen, which can account for injuries of related structures. The increasing use of modern diagnostic procedures and new surgical approaches has created a need for much more detailed anatomical studies and explanations. Methods and materials: 44 jugular foramina of unknown age and gender were examined from the Department of Anatomy at SGRR Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The morphological characteristic of all the foramina were studied, described and compared. Result: the mean anteroposterior, mediolateral diameter, area and depth of the jugular foramen was found to be greater on the right side than the left. Conclusion: The involvement of IX, X and XI cranial nerves at jugular foramen is known as Vernet’s Syndrome, which might occur in this case due to narrowing of the jugular foramen. The need for familiarity with detailed anatomy of this region becomes greater importance for a neuro surgeon to approach this region.