Pterion Formation in North Indian Population: An Anatomico-Clinical Study

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Seema & Anupama Mahajan

Summary

Pterion is a point of sutural confluence seen in the norma lateralis where frontal, parietal, temporal and sphenoid bones meet. This craniometric point is related to various structures in the cranial cavity like middle meningeal artery, anterior pole of insula and Broca's area. This study was done to find most common variation in its shape and presence of epipteric bones and to compare with other racial groups from previous study. Fifty adult human skulls of unknown sex taken from Department of Anatomy, Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Rsearch, Vallah (Amritsar, India) were examined on both sides for the type and position of the pterion. Four types of pterion formation were noted. Sphenoparietal was observed in 89%, frontotemporal in 7%, stellate in 4% and epipteric in 12% of cases. The pterion was found to be 3.1±0.44 cm on the right side, 3.4±0.40 cm on the left side from the frontozygomatic suture and 4.1±0.45 cm on the right side and 4.4±0.32 cm on the left side from the centre of zygoma. These variations in the sutural morphology is comparable to other population. Its position is of interest to anthropologists, forensic pathologists and surgeons who deserve further investigation in population of different area.

KEY WORDS: Pterion; Sphenoid; Craniometric; Sutural.

How to cite this article

SEEMA & MAHAJAN, A. Pterion formation in North Indian population: an anatomico-clinical study. Int. J. Morphol., 32(4):1444- 1448, 2014.