Morphometric Analysis of Ventricular System of Human Brain - A Study by Dissection Method.

ABSTRACT

It is often a challenge to determine if the brain ventricles are within normal limits or swollen with the age of the patient. With a standardized and comparable system, it is therefore necessary to define normal ventricular size ranges. Cadaveric dissection is always considered the gold standard of anatomical education. Present work is undertaken to study morphometric analysis of lateral, third & fourth ventricles by dissection method. Morphometric assessment of the ventricular system is helpful in the diagnosis as well as classification of hydrocephalus and in the evaluation and monitoring of ventricular system enlargement during ventricular shunt therapy.METHODSDifferent parameters of all parts of lateral ventricle, third and fourth ventricle were measured with digital vernier caliper in cadaveric brain specimens. The brain specimens were obtained from dead bodies subjected to post-mortem examinations in the Department of Forensic Medicine and from the dead bodies voluntarily donated to the Department of Anatomy, Silchar Medical College, Silchar.RESULTS37 brain specimens were obtained, out of which 24 were male, 13 were female and were of different age groups. Change in the parameters of different ventricles in relation to gender was found to be significant. Ventricular sizes are also observed to be more after the age of 60 years.CONCLUSIONSThere is a positive correlation in measurements of the brain ventricles with age and variation in accordance with gender and laterality.