Repository logo

School of Laboratory Medicine & Medical Sciences

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/10413/6701

Browse

Browsing School of Laboratory Medicine & Medical Sciences by SDG "SDG4"

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Investigation of sexual dimorphism, morphology, and morphometry of the cribriform plate in the KwaZulu-Natal population: Osteological and radiological assessment.
    (2024) Hlatshwayo, Nondumiso Ngiphiwe.; Naidu, Edwin Coleridge Stephen.; Olojede, Samuel Oluwaseun.; Rennie, Carmen Olivia.; Azu, Onyemaechi Okpara.
    Introduction: The cribriform plate is a fragile anatomical structure of the ethmoid bone. It is situated in the anterior cranial fossa between the brain and nasal cavity and serves as a channel for olfactory nerves to pass through to the brain. Despite its importance, there is a paucity of information in the literature on the morphology and sexual dimorphism of the cribriform plate, particularly in African populations. So, understanding the anatomical variations of the cribriform plate, particularly in relation to sex and laterality, is crucial as these differences may influence olfactory function, surgical approaches in the anterior cranial fossa, and the overall understanding of craniofacial anatomy in the selected KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) population. This study intended to observe and measure the shape, forms, and variations in the dimensions of the cribriform plate in relation to sex and laterality on both the bones and for computed tomography (CT) scans of a selected KZN population. Materials and methods: Fifty-five (55) CT scans of the cribriform plate were assessed from the axial and coronal views and fifty-eight (58) dried skulls without the calvaria were investigated bilaterally in this study. Morphology of the cribriform plate was recorded based on the Kawahara method, morphometry and related structures of the cribriform plate were investigated to identify any sexual dimorphism in KZN population. Result: In CT scans, the Type IV shape of the cribriform plate was the most prevalent in males, and the Type I cribriform plate shape was the most common in females. All morphometric parameters in comparison to sex were not statistically significant (p > 0.05) and they were observed to be slightly higher in males on both sides (males width on the right side was 4.78±1.30 mm and females width on the right side was 4.19±1.05 mm; males width on the left side was 4.33 mm (median) and females width on the left side was 4.18±0.97 mm; males length on the left side was 20.1±4.34 mm and females length on the left side was 20.0±3.84 mm; males depth on the left side was 5.15±1.65 mm and females depth on the left side was 4.94±1.40 mm) except for the length on the right side of females which was 20.6±3.73 mm. The teardrop type of the crista galli was the most common type with 53.3% on males and 64.0% on females. Keros classification type II was the most prevalent on sexes and Keros type III was the least identified within the population. On the right and left sides of the cribriform plate in both sexes, the anterior ethmoidal artery was commonly located below the skull base. Male Black South Africans had a right side of the cribriform plate that was longer (20.6 mm), whereas White South African males had a right side of the cribriform plate that was slightly smaller (19.7 mm). Compared to White females, Black South African females have a longer right side of the cribriform plate (20.7 mm). Cribriform plates’ width and depth in Black South African females had lower means (width on the right side was 4.00±1.05 mm and on the left side it was 4.17±1.06 mm; depth on the right side was 4.74±1.56 mm and on the left side it was 4.81±1.26 mm) than White South African females on both sides.