Milica Vuletic; Dragana Radosevic; Radmila Peric & Isidora Knezevic

The accessory infraorbital foramen (AIOF) represents an anatomical bony skull variation. Its importance is reflected in the fact that branches of the infraorbital nerve can pass through it and can be exposed to injuries during anesthesia and surgical interventions. This study aims to determine the incidence and morphometric characteristics of the AIOF and to predict its position in relation to surrounding bony structures. The retrospective study analyzed 595 computed tomography (CT) scans (245 males and 350 females). Measurements of all parameters (dimensions and positions of the foramina) were performed using PACS tools on coronal sections in uncompressed DICOM image format. The incidence of the AIOF was 8.24 % (found on 49 skulls). Of these, 34 (69.39 %) had a unilateral AIOF, while 15 (30.61 %) had it bilaterally. The average vertical diameter (VD) was 2.70 mm, and the horizontal diameter (HD) was 2.62 mm. No statistically significant difference was found between the foramina on the left and right sides. The horizontal diameter of the AIOF was significantly larger in men than in women. The mean surface area was 4.28 mm2. In women, the foramen was statistically closer to the anterior nasal spine (p=0.01), to the nasomaxillary suture (p=0.001), and to the lower edge of the maxilla (p=0.03). The most extensive percentage of foramina (97 %) were located superomedially to the infraorbital foramen, and only two (3 %) were positioned inferomedially. Position prediction can contribute to a better understanding of anatomical variations the infraorbital region and a more precise localization of AIOF.

KEY WORDS: Accessory infraorbital foramen; Computed tomography; Morphometric analysis; Clinical significance.

VULETIC,M.;RADOSEVIC,D.;PERIC,R.& KNEZEVIC,I.Incidenceandmorphologicalcharacteristicsofaccessoryinfraorbital foramina: An analysis of computed tomography scans. Int. J. Morphol., 43(5):1726-1732, 2025.