Nareelak Tangsrisakda; Supatcharee Arun; Chanasorn Poodendaen; Suthat Duangchit; Atithaya Maihong; Supawadee Klaikran Sitthichai Iamsaard

Presence of the foramen in the sternal body or xiphoid process has clinical, radiological, and forensic significances. It can be misdiagnosed during radiographic imaging. Prevalence and morphometrics of sternal foramen have been in many populations but not in Northeastern Thais. This study; therefore, aimed to investigate the topographic morphometry and incidence of sternal foramen (SF) and xiphoid foramen (XF) in Thai dry sternums. Identified 390 dry sternums (200 males and 190 females) with ossified xiphoid process were observed for incidence of foramen appearance. On sample with any foramen on sternal body, the morphometrics including distance from sternal angle to uppermost of sternal foramen margin (USF), lowermost of sternal foramen margin to lower end of the sternal body (LSF), and its diameters (VSF, vertical and TSF, transverse diameters) were measured. For xiphoid foramen, distance from lower end to uppermost of xiphoid foramen margin (UXF) and lowermost to lower end of xiphoid (LXF), and xiphoid foramen diameters (vertical [VXF] and transvers [TXF] planes) were also analyzed. The results showed the incidences of SF and XF were 5.38 % and 3.08 %, respectively. Compared between sexes, it was greater in male SF (3.59 %) and XF (2.05 %). In addition, USFs were 35.94 - 89.22 mm (male) and 51.18 - 98.09 mm (female) and LSF was 8.42 -27.77 mm (male) and 4.37 - 25.64 mm (female). The highest SF diameters (VSF x TSF) in male and female were 20.47 x 9.66 mm and 11.90 x 9.11 mm. UXFs were 8.50 - 71.51 mm and 1.86 - 29.83 mm observed in males and females while LXF was 3.85 - 17.79 mm (male) and 4.38 - 27.59 mm (female). The highest XF diameters (VXF x TXF) observed in male and female were 18.83 x 8.35 mm and 4.06 x 4.55mm, respectively. In conclusion, this study provided the baseline epidemiological data about sternal and xiphoid foramens in Northeastern Thais. These foramen topographies were varied between sexes and sides and prevalence of SF and XF should be noted to avoiding misdiagnosis and misinterpretation as pathologic or traumatic conditions during radiographic imaging.

KEY WORDS: Sternal foremen; Xiphoid foramen; Morphometrics; Prevalence; Northeastern Thais.

TANGSRISAKDA, N.; ARUN, S.; POODENDAEN, C.; DUANGCHIT, S.; MAIHONG, A.; KLAIKRAN, S. & IAMSAARD, S. Topographic morphometry and incidence of foramina on sternal body and fully ossified xiphoid process in northeastern Thai dry sternums. Int. J. Morphol., 43(4):1128-1132, 2025.