Artikel
Posterior fossa size in neurovascular conflict: a morphometric study
Hintere Schädelgrube beim neurovaskulären Konflikt: eine morphometrische Studie
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Veröffentlicht: | 11. April 2007 |
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Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether the neurovascular conflict is associated with constitutionally smaller posterior fossa.
Methods: The measurement of relative posterior fossa size based on plain radiographic skull images was performed in 50 patients with neurovascular conflict (40 with trigeminal neuralgia, 10 with facial hemispasm) and 50 control subjects. Following parameters were assessed: a) posterior clinoid and internal occipital protuberance distance (line A), b) distance from foramen magnum from the line A, c) the distance between anterior border of the frontal sinus and internal occipital protuberance, d) the distance between the internal diploe border and line A. Ratios of a/c and b/d were obtained representing thus the relative length and height of the posterior fossa. The differences between groups were tested with parametric t-test.
In 16 patients the MRI volumetric measurement of cerebellar hemisphere was performed. Threshold and region-growing technique was used to generate cerebellar volume, corrected with manual tracing. Cerebellar peduncles were removed from the cerebellar white matter, intrarater variability was 8%. The volumes of cerebellar hemispheres of affected and unaffected size were compared with Wilcoxon signed rank.
Results: Both ratios obtained from radiographic scans were significantly decreaed in patients with neurovascular conflict (p<0,01). The volumes of cerebellar hemisphere of affected und unaffected sides were not significantly different
Conclusions: Smaller posterior fossa may be a predisposition factor for the occurrence of the neurovascular compression. The cerebellar hemisphere volume was not associated with the occurrence of neurovascular conflict.