Turkish Neurosurgery 2025 , Vol 35 , Num 6
Pediatrics - Cranial Aperture of the Optic Canal in Chiari Malformation Type 2: A Morphometric Study on CT Images
Mehmet Zeki ERDEM1,Abdulmutalip KARAASLANLI2,Abdulaziz YALINKILIC1,Ozkan ARABACI2,Zulkuf AKDEMIR3,Burhan BEGER4,Baris ASLANOGLU5,Turan KOC6,Orhan BEGER7
1Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Van, Türkiye
2Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Van, Türkiye
3Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Van, Türkiye
4Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Van, Türkiye
5Health Sciences University, Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
6Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye
7Gaziantep University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Gaziantep, Türkiye
DOI : 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.48541-25.3 AIM: To identify morphological differences in the cranial aperture (CA) of the optic canal (OC) in patients with Chiari malformation type 2 (CMT2) by comparing them with healthy individuals.

MATERIAL and METHODS: Computed tomography images were analyzed for 40 patients with CMT2 (16 females, 24 males; mean age, 10.05 ± 4.51 years; age range, 6?18 years) and 40 control subjects (21 females, 19 males; mean age, 10.03 ± 4.81 years; age range, 6?18 years). Measurements included the height (HCA), width (WCA), and surface area (ACA) of the CA, as well as the distances from the CA to the anterior border of the anterior cranial fossa (AB-CA), lateral border (LB-CA), and midsagittal line (MSLCA). Additionally, the angles of the OC were assessed in both the axial (APA) and sagittal planes (SPA).

RESULTS: In the CMT2 group, mean values were as follows: HCA 3.64 ± 0.81 mm, WCA 3.08 ± 0.87 mm, ACA 7.58 ± 2.84 mm2, AB-CA 44.99 ± 7.69 mm, LB-CA 29.17 ± 5.03 mm, MSL-CA 7.07 ± 2.44 mm, APA 30.64° ± 6.03°, and SPA 24.31° ± 5.09°. In the control group, corresponding values were HCA 4.22 ± 0.60 mm, WCA 4.54 ± 1.04 mm, ACA 12.81 ± 3.80 mm2, AB-CA 52.73 ± 6.71 mm, LB-CA 35.86 ± 4.33 mm, MSL-CA 10.21 ± 2.21 mm, APA 35.96° ± 3.23°, and SPA 28.64° ± 4.34°. All measurements were significantly smaller in the CMT2 group compared to controls (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION: Patients with CMT2 exhibit significantly reduced CA dimensions and angular measurements of the OC. These differences, particularly in depth and orientation, may be clinically relevant when planning surgical interventions such as OC decompression. Keywords : Chiari malformation type 2, Transcranial approach, Optic canal, Cranial aperture, Computed tomography

Corresponding author : Mehmet Zeki ERDEM, mzekierdem1983@gmail.com