Objective- The infraorbital foramen is located on the maxillary bone 1 cm under the infraorbital margin. Infra orbital nerve blocks are done in children for managing the postoperative pain which can occur after cleft lip operation and endoscopic sinus operation. Infraorbital nerve can also be damaged in cases of zygomatic complex fractures which are one of the most common facial injuries. So, this study was undertaken to analyze the anatomical variations by comparing various morphometric measurements of infraorbital foramen in dry skulls of adult South Indian population.Materials and methods- 60 dry skulls of unknown sex were used for the study. Various measurements and distance from various surgical landmarks were measured to evaluate the location of infraorbital foramen on both sides. Statistical Analysis was done for the above measurements mean and standard deviation, median, range, and mode were calculated.Results: The mean distance of infraorbital foramen from piriform aperture, lower end of alveolus of maxilla and infraorbital margin was 18.39, 27.88 and 7.09mm on the right and 17.89, 27.31 and 6.95mm on the left side. The mean vertical and horizontal diameter was 3.78 and 3.50mm on the right side and 3.48 and 3.35mm on the left side. In our study, the most common site of IOF in Indian skulls was found to be in line with the second premolar tooth (59.01%), followed by its position between the first and second premolar tooth (27.87%).Conclusion- These results will be helpful for surgeons while doing maxillofacial surgery and regional block anesthesia.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.17(4) 2018 p.562-566

Background To prevent damage to the facial nerve while doing surgery and to give facial nerve block by anesthetics near the stylomastoid foramen we should know its distance from the important anatomical landmarks. So, this study aims to study the location of stylomastoid with respect to nearby anatomical landmarks. Materials and Method The study was performed on 58 dry skulls. Measurements of stylomastoid foramen were taken from various anatomical landmarks on both sides of the skull. Data analysis was done by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 19 version. Results The mean distance of the center of the stylomastoid foramen (CSMF) to the tip of the mastoid process was 1.60, 1.57 cm on the right and left side, respectively. The mean distance of CSMF to the upper end of the anterior border of the mastoid process was 1.42, 1.39 cm on the right and left side, respectively. The mean angle between CSMF and tip of the mastoid process was 51.6 degrees, 53.5 degrees on right and left side, respectively. The mean distance of CSMF to the center of jugular foramen was 1.27, 1.26 cm on the right and left side, respectively. The position of the stylomastoid foramen in relation to a transverse line passing through the upper end of the anterior border of both mastoid processes was anterior in 82.7%, 94.8% of cases on the right and left side, respectively. Conclusion These measurements will aid neurosurgeons in doing surgeries near the stylomastoid foramen or anesthetics to give facial nerve block near the foramen.

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