Sellar (caroticoclinoid and interclinoid), pterygospinous and pterygoalar bridges are osseous bars of the sphenoid bone, which enclose additional foramina in the skull base and could cause entrapment of nerves, occlusion of vessels and obstruction of surgical corridors. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of sphenoid bone bridges in Bulgarians and to assess the bilateral and sex differences in their distribution. This study was performed on head CT scans of 315 Bulgarians, 148 males and 167 females. The sellar bridges were the most common type of sphenoid bridging; particularly the caroticoclinoid bridge. The pterygospinous bridge was a relatively common finding and the pterygoalar bridge was the most infrequent type of bridging. The total frequency of sellar bridges did not differ significantly between both sides and sexes. The pterygospinous bridge did not indicate significant bilateral differences but showed considerable sex differences concerning the left-side occurrence, which was significantly higher in the male series. There were no considerable bilateral and sex differences in the distribution of the pterygoalar bridging. There were no significant correlations between the different types of sphenoid bone bridges, but each type of bridging showed significant positive correlations between the right and left side co-occurrence in males and females.
Fetal MRI is an important tool for the prenatal diagnosis of brain malformations and is often requested after second-trimester ultrasonography reveals a possible abnormality. Despite the immature state of the fetal brain at this early stage, early suggestive signs of the presence of brain malformations can be recognized. To differentiate between the normal dynamics of the growing brain and the developing pathological conditions can be challenging and requires extensive knowledge of normal central nervous system developmental stages and their neuroradiological counterparts at those different stages. This article reviews the second-trimester appearances of some commonly encountered brain malformations, focusing on helpful tricks and subtle signs to aid in the diagnosis of such conditions as rhombencephalosynapsis, various causes of vermian rotation, molar tooth spectrum anomalies, diencephalicmesencephalic junction dysplasia, ganglionic eminence anomalies, and the most common malformations of cortical development.
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