title: The Presence of Clival Foramen Through Multidetector Computed Tomography of the Skull Base.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Technological advancements in the diagnostic radiology recently permitted reviewing the normal anatomy through multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) imagination. The aim of this paper is retrospectively investigation of the clival foramen and canal through MDCT.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred eighty-six MDCT scans were reviewed. First, images were taken at axial plane, and then coronal and sagittal reconstructions of raw data were performed. Later investigations were carried out on these three-dimensional images (3-D imaging). The images were evaluated as clival foramen "present" or "absent."
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our 186 patients, evaluation of MDCT showed that clival foramen was absent in 66.7% (n = 124) of patients. Only 33.3% (n = 62) of patients had a clival foramen. In 3-D images, clival canal and clival foramen were shown more clearly compared with the MDCT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Knowledge of the clival canal might be useful in patients of questionable clival fracture or during neurosurgical operations in this region. During life the canal contained a vein connecting the basilar plexus with the venous plexus of the vertebral canal, and inferior petrosal sinuses. Before the surgical interventions in the clival region, the presence of the clival canal and foramen should also be known due to its vascular contents. By multidetector computed tomography and 3-D images, clival canal and foramen may be viewed preoperatively.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Radiodiagnostics †Department of Otolaryngology ‡Department of Neurosurgery §Department of Radiodiagnostics ||Department of Otolaryngology ¶Department of Radiodiagnostics, School of Medicine, Kirikkale University, Kirikkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mikail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inal
authors.forename: Nuray Bayar
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Muluk
authors.forename: Mehmet Faik
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ozveren
authors.forename: Umut Orkun
authors.initials: UO
authors.lastname: Çelebi
authors.forename: Gökçe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Şimşek
authors.forename: Veysel
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Burulday
authors.forename: Mihrace Yasemin Karadeniz
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Bilgili
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003388:Cranial Fossa, Posterior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D010690:Phlebography / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019291:Skull Base / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D055815:Young Adult