OBJECTIVE: Knowledge of cranial suture morphology is crucial in emergency medicine, forensic medicine, and maxillofacial reconstructive surgery. This study assessed the visibility of sutures of the orbit and periorbital region on multidetector computed tomography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multidetector computed tomography scans of 200 patients (127 males, 73 females; mean age 51.3 years; range, 6-92 years) were evaluated retrospectively. The slice thicknesses varied from 0.5 to 1 mm, and the tube current from 25 to 370 mAs, depending on the CT indication. The visibility of sutures was estimated according to a 4-point scale from "not visible" to "well visible". The chi-squared test was used to test the association of the visibility of sutures with the slice thickness, tube current, and age of patients. Statistical significance was assumed at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Overall, best visibility was found for the sutura frontozygomatica (98%), sutura frontonasalis (88.5%), and sutura sphenozygomatica (71.5%), followed by the sutura zygomaticomaxillaris (65.8%), sutura temporozygomatica (41.8%), sutura frontomaxillaris (44.5%), and sutura sphenofrontalis (31%). Poor visibility was found for the sutura frontolacrimalis (16.8%) and sutura frontoethmoidalis (1.3%). The sutura ethmoidomaxillaris, sutura lacrimomaxillaris, and sutura ethmoidolacrimalis were not visible. CONCLUSION: Although the sutures of the superior, lateral, and inferior orbit are well visible, those of the medial orbit are poorly visible on CT scans.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Craniocerebral Trauma/pathology/radiography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Orbit/*radiography ; Retrospective Studies ; *Sutures ; Young Adult

We reviewed serial computed tomographic (CT) scans of 58 patients with traumatic subdural hygroma (SDG) to investigate its natural history. All were re-evaluated with a special reference to the size and density of SDG. Thirty-four patients (58.6%) were managed conservatively and 24 patients (41.4%) underwent surgery. The lesion was described as remained, reduced, resolved, enlarged and changed. Means of interval from injury to diagnosis and any changes in CT were calculated. SDGs were resolved in 12 (20.7%), reduced in 15 (25.9%), remained in 10 (17.2%), enlarged in 2 (3.4%), and changed into chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) in 19 patients (32.8%). SDG was diagnosed at 11.6 days after the injury. It was enlarged at 25.5 days, remained at 46.0 days, reduced at 59.3 days, resolved at 107.5 days, and changed into CSDH at 101.5 days in average. SDGs were developed as delayed lesions, and changed sequentially. They enlarged for a while, then reduced in size. The final path of a SDG was either resolution or CSDH formation. Nearly half of SDGs was resolved or reduced within three months, however, 61.3% of unresolved or unreduced SDG became iso- or hyperdense CSDH. These results suggest that the unresolved SDG is the precursor of CSDH.
Adolescence ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Craniocerebral Trauma/complications ; Disease Progression ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic/radiography* ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic/pathology* ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic/etiology ; Human ; Infant ; Longitudinal Studies ; Lymphangioma/radiography ; Lymphangioma/pathology ; Lymphangioma/etiology ; Middle Age ; Subdural Effusion/radiography* ; Subdural Effusion/pathology* ; Subdural Effusion/etiology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed*