ANATOMY OF THE JUGULAR FORAMEN IN DRY HUMAN SKULLS OF DIFFERENT GENDERS

Authors:

Abstract:

The purpose of the study was to examine certain morphometric parameters of the jugular foramen in dry adult human skulls classified by gender. The study was conducted on 77 “documented” dry skulls (38 male, 39 female), retrieved from the bone collection of the Anatomical Museum at the Department of Human Anatomy and Medical Terminology. Differences between the two groups were assessed using the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test (PU). Descriptive t-test and Dispersion F-test (ANOVA) were also applied. A statistical significance of p<0.050 was considered sufficient to reject the null hypothesis. The study results showed that the oval shape of the foramen, in both males and females, was not associated with asymmetry (observed in 28.9 % of males and 20.5 % of females) and was more frequent in males. The least asymmetry was seen in dumbbell-shaped and kidney-shaped types. Comparative analysis of the area of the jugular foramen on both sides revealed that it was larger in males than in females, with a statistically significant difference observed on the left side (PU=0.040). The medio-lateral dimension of the jugular foramen was found to be the same for both genders on both sides, with no statistically significant difference. Anterior-posterior measurements were also similar between genders on the right side (9.0±0.2 mm for both males and females), but differed significantly on the left side (PU=0.019). Thus, we established that the jugular foramen can present in various shapes, with the oval form being the most common. Other shapes showed asymmetry – where one side had a narrower foramen and the opposite side a wider one – which, in our view, serves a compensatory function.

Keywords:

jugular foramen gender differences morphometry skull anatomy

References:

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Publication:

«World of Medicine and Biology» Vol. 21 No. 94 (2025) , с. 206-210
УДК 611.71;611.018

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26724/2079-8334-2025-4-94-206-210