The sphenoid bone development occurs in both prenatal and postnatal periods. Sphenoid bone openings are used as surgical landmarks and are of great importance for neurosurgeons in everyday practice. The aim of this study was to identify morphological characteristics, postnatal development and remodeling, as well as clinical aspect of the sphenoid bone openings and to investigate their relationship and difference in size. The macerated sphenoid bones analyzed in this study were scanned by micro-computed tomography. Areas and distance in-between foramen ovale and foramen rotundum were measured. In addition, different shapes of foramen ovale were described. The most common shape of foramen ovale on both sides was oval, followed by the round, almond and elongated shapes. Modest to strong positive correlations between all foramina and age for the whole sample and both subsamples were presented, except for the right foramen rotundum area in the male subsample, which did not show significant correlation with age. Our study revealed changes in postnatal development and anatomy of foramen ovale and foramen rotundum, primarily in the aspects of size and shape, and should contribute to reducing the risk of damage to neurovascular structures during surgical procedures.

Tracheomegaly (TM) is a rare appearance that is radiologically defined as an excessive enlargement of the tracheal diameter. We present a comprehensive analysis of tracheal diameter measurements and TM incidence in patients admitted and treated due to COVID-19 pneumonitis and its association with possible respiratory complications. In this retrospective study, we included 1015 patients divided into three groups: 383 patients treated using mechanical ventilation (MV), 132 patients treated using high-flow ventilation (HFV), and 500 randomly selected patients using nasal catheter (NC) oxygenation. The tracheal lumen diameter was measured continuously using a chest X-ray, and the cuff/trachea (C/T) diameter ratio was calculated. We detected TM in 71 patients (18.54%). Regression analysis showed statistical significance in MV patients for the trachea diameter at the level of the cuff, maximal trachea diameter and C/T diameter ratio, and days on MV. Respiratory complications showed a significant association with the C/T diameter ratio. The C/T diameter ratio was shown to be a reliable potential predictor of the occurrence of respiratory complications. The results of the study highlight the importance of the early detection and prevention of TM in COVID-19 patients on MV using a chest X-ray and measurement of the C/T diameter ratio.

In our retrospective longitudinal study based on the data from 292 patients, we wanted to investigate whether there was an association between weather conditions and the occurrence of odontogenic abscesses (OA) requiring hospitalization. In the adult group (249 patients), the incidence of severe OA was highest in winter (32.9%) during January (11.6%), with the most common localizations being the perimandibular (35.7%) and submandibular (23.3%) regions. We found that changes in mean daily atmospheric pressure five days before hospitalization showed a positive association with the occurrence of OA, especially pressure variations greater than 12 hPa. Atmospheric pressure changes two and five days before hospitalization were also found to be moderate predictors of complications during treatment. Antibiogram analysis revealed resistance of streptococci to clindamycin in 26.3%. In the pediatric group, OA were also most frequent in winter (30.2%), and the perimandibular region (37.2%) and the canine fossa (20.9%) were the most frequent abscess localizations, while an association with meteorological parameters was not demonstrated. Clinical experience teaches us that weather change influences the occurrence of severe OA requiring hospitalization, which we confirmed in this research. To our knowledge, our study is the first to provide a threshold and precise time frame for atmospheric pressure changes.