Anatomical Location of the Infraorbital Foramen in Infant Dry Skulls: Implications for Cleft Surgery.

BACKGROUND

Infraorbital foramen (IOF) is an important anatomical landmark in cleft lip surgery. The location of IOF within the maxilla of infants is different from adults. However, little information about anatomy of IOF in infants exists in the literature. This study aims to determine the location of IOF in infant dry skulls based on key surgical landmarks.

METHODS

All dry skulls under age 2 years old were selected from the Hamann-Todd Human Osteological Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (Cleveland, OH). Specimens without cranial bones or complete maxilla were excluded. Seven anatomical measurements were taken on each side of the face for each individual skull (14 measurements for each skull). Anatomical landmarks used for the measurements included infraorbital rim, aperture piriformis, alveolar ridge, zygomaticomaxillary buttress, anterior nasal spine (ANS), and inferolateral corner of the aperture piriformis.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven halves of 14 dry skulls were included in the final analysis. The mean age of specimens was 0.57 years. Mean distances from infraorbital foramen to infraorbital rim, aperture piriformis, alveolar ridge, zygomaticomaxillary, and ANS buttress were 4.11 ± 0.82, 9.4 ± 1.62, 12.7 ± 2.71, 11.7 ± 1.54, and 18.4 ± 2.11 mm, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study also shows that the infraorbital foramen in infants is located at the level of the ANS or within 2 mm higher and that the distance between the infraorbital rim and foramen is only 3 to 4 mm. These findings should be applied to the cleft population with discretion.