Facial soft tissue thickness database for craniofacial reconstruction in the Turkish adult population.

320 Turkish adults (160 men, 160 women) who had undergone brain CT in the radiology clinic and showed no sign of maxillofacial pathology were analyzed in order to create a facial soft-tissue thickness database of the Turkish adult population. The soft-tissue thicknesses were measured at 31 landmarks, 10 midline and 21 bilateral anatomical landmarks. Average thickness values for each landmark as well as the standard deviation and range classified according to gender and age are reported. The differences of these mean values related to age and sexes were calculated. The values were then statistically compared to the findings of the European and Korean adults. Overall, the soft-tissue thickness measurements obtained in this study can be used as a database for the forensic craniofacial reconstruction of Turkish adult faces.

Midline facial soft tissue thickness database of Turkish population: MRI study.

Facial reconstruction is the approximation of an antemortem face from human skeletal remains. Since the nineteenth century, several methods have been developed for reconstruction of the face; all of them require the measurement of average tissue thicknesses at various points on the face. To our knowledge, there are no publications on soft tissue thickness in the Turkish population. In addition, there are few publications on the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in measuring soft tissue thickness for forensic sciences. The aim of this study was to create a reference database of facial tissue thickness in the Turkish population, and to present data illustrating the successful use of MRI for this purpose. The study included 161 patients (79 males and 82 females) between the ages of 18 and 78 who had undergone brain MRI in our radiology clinic, and showed no sign of maxillofacial pathology. Measurements were taken at 9 points at the midline; glabella, nasion, end of nasals, mid-philtrum, upper lip margin, lower lip margin, chin-lip fold, mental eminence, and beneath chin points. The mean values for these points in the patient sample population were determined, and differences related to age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) were calculated. The values were then compared to the findings of the Manhein study.

Evaluation of jugular foramen nerves by using b-FFE, T2-weighted DRIVE, T2-weighted FSE and post-contrast T1-weighted MRI sequences.

PURPOSE: To assess the most effective magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequence for the visualization of the 9th, 10th, and 11th cranial nerves (glossopharyngeal, vagus, and accessory nerves, respectively) in their intraforaminal/canalicular courses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Balanced fast-field echo (b-FFE), 3D-T2W DRIVE, T2W 2D TSE and post-contrast T1W MRI sequences were all applied and we tried to get the best sequence for the exact assessment of the 9th, 10th, and 11th cranial nerves. Six hundred nerves of 100 patients without symptoms of neurovascular compression were examined using the above sequences. Imaging analysis was graded as: a) nerves analyzed by certainty (score of 2), b) nerves analyzed partially (score of 1), and c) nerves not identified (score of 0). RESULTS: In all three nerves, the best sequence for the visualization of the cisternal and intraforaminal course was b-FFE, with 58%, 73%, 62%, and all together 64.3% success in showing the fascicles of the 9th-11th nerves. This sequence with a very short time of repetition, symmetrical and balanced gradient around the echo time allowed very fast imaging and a high signal to noise ratio. T2W TSE sequence was superior to the DRIVE T2W sequence in assessing the cisternal and intraforaminal part of all three nerves. Post-contrast T1W sequence was probably the worst sequence in showing all three nerves. CONCLUSION: b-FFE gradient echo MRI sequence with high spatial resolution is the optimal sequence for determining the courses of 9th-11th cranial nerves.