Morphometric analysis of location and position of foramens present in the middle base of the skull

Aim: To evaluate and analyse the location and position of foramen ovale, jugular foramen and carotid canal morphometrically.
Background: Since the articles about foramina mainly concentrate only on single foramen but this research is different in a way like analysing the three foramens present in the middle part of base of the skull with reference to their location and position in the skull.
Reason: Evaluation of the location and position of foramen ovale, jugular foramen and carotid canal, morphometrically may predict the anatomical variation of the relative location.
Materials and Methods: 60 dry unsexed skulls from the department of anatomy,
Saveetha dental college, Chennai was used in the study.The distance of foramen Ovale, Jugular Foramen and Carotid canal from the mastoid process on the left sidewas measured using manual vernier caliper, the readings were tabulated.
Result: The mean value for the distance between mastoid process and Foramen ovale is about 7.01 cms. The mean for the distance between mastoid process and jugular Foramen is quite less about 3.45 cm.The mean for the distance between mastoid process and carotid canal is about 4.76cm.
Conclusion: Working knowledge of the normal and variant anatomy of the skull base is essential for effective surgical treatment of disease in this area.