ENLARGED MASTOID FORAMEN

Abstract

A superficial venous system of posterior neck region is very important as a possible source of complications during surgery, such as bleeding or air embolism. Despite the advances in anatomy and neurosurgery, detailed descriptions of mastoid foramen (MF) and mastoid emissary veins (MEV) are still lacking in literature. Anatomical features of the mastoid region were examined on 150 samples of the temporal bones that were selected from our large cohort. In one temporal bone we found a very large mastoid foramen with wide communication to the sigmoid sinus. We reviewed the literature and discussed the importance of variation of vascularisation in the mastoid region.

Keywords

• mastoid foramen
• variations
• sigmoid sinus
• tinnitus
• surgical importance