Fatma Yasemin Öksüzler; Mahmut Tunç; Sema Polat; Esin Özsahin; Zafer Altun & Pınar Göker

This study aims to evaluate the morphology and morphometry of the superior orbital fissure (SOF) and optic canal (OC), and to analyze their spatial relationship with one another. This retrospective study included dento-maxillofacial CT images from 132 healthy individuals (71 females and 61 males), with a mean age of 35.33±11.48 years. The images were imported into 3D Slicer (version 5.6.2). Measurements of the SOF included its minimum and maximum widths, lengths, and areas. For the OC, vertical and horizontal diameters, as well as the area, were evaluated. Additionally, the distances from the OC to the lateral, middle, and medial points of the SOF were recorded. The morphological classification of the SOF was also conducted, categorizing its shape into seven distinct types. Age-based subgroup analysis showed significant differences in both the vertical diameter of the optic canal (p=0.039) and the minimum width of the superior orbital fissure (p=0.019) across different age decades. The morphological classification of the SOF identified the keyhole-shaped type (Type 5) as the most prevalent form (19.7 %), while the straight type (Type 2) was the least frequently observed (9.8 %). Statistically significant differences were found in all SOF-related morphometric parameters among the different morphological types (p<0.05), except for the distance between the optic canal and the lateral margin of the SOF. Comprehensive knowledge of normative morphometric parameters is crucial not only for accurate surgical planning and precise delineation of operative boundaries but also for substantially minimizing the risk of intraoperative complications.

KEY WORDS: Superior orbital fissure: Orbital apex; Optic canal; Morphometry; Morphology.

ÖKSÜZLER, F. Y.; TUNÇ, M.; POLAT, S.: ÖZSAHIN, E.; ALTUN, Z. & GÖKER, P. Three-dimensional evaluation of the morphometry and spatial relationship of the superior orbital fissure and optic canal. Int. J. Morphol., 44(2):660-668, 2026.