Study on the Incidence of the Occurrence of the Sutural Bones atAsterion in the Dry Adult Human Skulls of the South Indian Population

Background: Asterion is the point of sutural confluence present on the norma lateralis of the skull. Occasionally sutural bones are present at asterion. Asterion is commonly used as a surgical landmark for the lateral approach of the cranial fossa. So, the knowledge on the incidence of the presence of sutural bones at the asterion is important for surgeons. Thus the present study was undertaken to find out the incidence of the occurrence of the sutural bones present at the asterion. Subjects and Methods:70 skulls were collected from the department osteology section.The damaged bones were excluded from the study. A total of 140 asterions were studied. All the skulls were observed and the incidence of type 1 and type 2 asterion was recorded on both sides. The incidence of the multiple sutural bones was also recorded on both the right and left sides. Results: The incidence of type 2 asterion was observed to be higher than the type 1 asterion. The incidence of type 1 and type 2 sutural bones was observed as 27.86% and 72.14% respectively. The incidence of the multiple sutural bones at the asterion was observed as 14.29%. Conclusion: The data on the incidence of occurrence of sutural bones which was presented in the present study may be of great use to the radiologists and neurosurgeons for a better diagnosis and to minimize the complications while performing lateral approaches of the cranial fossa.

Morphometric Analysis of Adult Acromion Process of Scapula in SouthIndian Population

Background: Morphometric analysis of the acromion process is important in shoulder joint pathologies and the structures passing through the subacromion space or structures present underneath the coracoacromial arch are more prone to undergo impingement and end with impingement syndrome of the shoulder joint. Knowledge on the morphometry of the acromion process is essential before planning surgical treatment of the impingement syndrome such as, acromioplasty or acromionectomy. The present study is aimed to focus on the morphometric analysis of the acromion process. Subjects and Methods: The present study was carried on 100 dry adult scapulae in which 50 were right and 50 were left. The following parameters were measured; length of the acromion, width of the acromion, coracoacromial distance and the acromioglenoidal distance. All the parameters were measured using vernier caliper. Results: The mean length of the acromion process was 42.55mm and 41.43mm on the right and the left sides respectively. The mean width of the acromion process was 23.12mm and 22.8mm on the right and the left sides respectively. The mean coracoacromial distance was 34.16mm and 34.15mm on the right and the left sides respectively. The average acromioglenoid distance was 24.48mm and 24.52mm on the right and the left sides respectively. Conclusion: The morphometric data of this study will be of great importance for the orthopaedic surgeon while treating the impingement syndrome and other surgeries of shoulder joint.