"Lateral angle" of the internal auditory canal: non-association with temporal bone pneumatization.
The "lateral angle," the angle with which the posterior wall of the internal auditory canal meets the posterior fossa plate, is arguably wider in females (>45 degrees) than males (<45 degrees). Not previously addressed, however, are repeatability of angle determination, and whether the extent of temporal bone pneumatization is a confounder. Forty-one adult human cranial specimens (82 clinically normal temporal bones) were studied; no sex information was available for this United States sample. Two casts were created from each ear; each cast was independently categorized twice. No association of lateral angle with mastoid size was found. Repeatability was good. Although bilateral symmetry was suggested (phi = 0.60, p = 0.05), two crania had oppositely categorized right-left angles. We observed a new finding: narrowed but clinically normal canals in 10% of crania. The lateral angle is a good candidate to be a morphological method in determination of sex.
Wendell Todd
Norman
N
Department of Otolaryngology, Emory University, 1365A Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. ntodd@emory.edu
Graw
Matthias
M
Dietzel
Maria
M
D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D018732:Forensic Anthropology; D006801:Humans; D054881:Sex Determination by Skeleton / Q000379:methods; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000033:anatomy & histology*