ABSTRACT
Aim: In the paracondylar region(lateral to the occipital condyles)there might be morphological variation in the form of an anomalous foramina. This anomalous foramina may represent the course of an emissary vein in absence of posterior condylar canal or an aberrant course. Material & Method: 82 dry adult skulls (164 sides), of Indian origin and of both the sexes formed the basis for this study. The region anterior, posterior and lateral to the occipital condyles was carefully examined for the presence of foramina. Complete foramina were only considered for this study. The patency was ascertained by passage of a probe through it. Results: paracondylar foramina was observed in 12.1% specimens ,in 10.9% it was predominantly located on the left side and in 1.2% it was bilateral. No right sided paracondylar foramina was observed. Unilateral left sided Double hypoglossal canal was seen in 4.8% specimens . Posterior condylar canal was present in 9.7% out of which 6.0% were on the left side exclusively and 3.6% bilateral in position. Conclusion: Misinterpretation may occur as neoplasm or an abnormal lymph node during radiodiagnosis Surgical procedures in this area such as paracondylar approach and far lateral supracondylar approach could be impacted upon by this.
ABSTRACT
Minor variations in the ossicles, foramina and ridges of the cranium have aroused the curiosity of anatomists for many decades. These non-metric variants help us to study the genetic relationships among ancient populations. Since these traits show considerable frequency differences in different populations, they can be used as anthropological characters in epidemiological studies. These variants indirectly reflect the part of underlying genotype of a given population thus implying their usefulness in biological comparisons of related groups. They can be used for the assessment of the existence of the parental structures within a community or as taxonomic indicators. For anthropological studies, the traits should be genetically determined, vary in frequency between different populations and should not show age, sex, and side dependency. The present study was conducted on hundred dry adult human skulls from Northern India. They were sexed and studied for the presence of hyperostotic traits (double hypoglossal canal, jugular foramen bridging, and paracondylar process). Sexual and side dimorphism was observed. None of the traits had shown statistically significant side and sexual dimorphism. Since the dimorphism is exhibited by none of them, it can be postulated that these traits are predominantly under genetic control and can be effectively used for population studies.