DOES FORAMEN MAGNUM BASED ON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY MEASUREMENTS CHANGE WITH AGE AND GENDER?

Özlem Çelik Aydın, Esra Bilici, Mukadder Sunar

Advanced Radiology and Imaging - 2025;2(2):36-39

Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Erzincan, Türkiye

 

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the development rate of foramen magnum (FM) with age by performing morphometric analysis of FM using computed tomography (CT) examination in children at different ages, accounting for sagittal and transverse dimensions for FM as well as sex. Methods: Two hundred and fifty-one children aged 0-18, who had CT imaging at our institution for any reason between January and December 2024 had their anterior-posterior diameter and transverse diameter (TD) measured in this retrospective study. The information was statistically analyzed. Results: The study included 251 children, 156 boys (62.2%) and 95 girls (37.8%). The mean sagittal diameter (SD) of all children was 36, and the mean TD was 29. Age, and SD and TD values had a substantial positive connection (p<0.05). There were no appreciable variations in SD and TD measurements between boys and girls at any age. Conclusion: Morphometric research in anthropology aids in determining anthropometric variations among populations, which may be influenced by factors such as ethnicity, gender, age, and genetics, and may influence bone size and shape. Additionally, it can differentiate between a pathogenic situation and typical variations. For many abnormalities, it is essential to ascertain the size of FM and how it changes with age.