Morphometric Assessment of the Piriform Aperture and Its Clinical and Forensic Applications

Background: The piriform aperture (PA) is a midface structure that forms the anterior skeletal boundary of the nose. It is highly variant due to its physiological adaptations to the climate. Its variations are useful in forensic identification and reconstructive surgeries of the face. This study aim...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Beryl Shitandi Ominde, Joyce Ekeme Ikubor, Jennifer Efe Jaiyeoba-Ojigho, Orovwoghene Faithful Omoro, Patrick Sunday Igbigbi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2024-12-01
Series:Mustansiriya Medical Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/mj.mj_67_23
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841539699866337280
author Beryl Shitandi Ominde
Joyce Ekeme Ikubor
Jennifer Efe Jaiyeoba-Ojigho
Orovwoghene Faithful Omoro
Patrick Sunday Igbigbi
author_facet Beryl Shitandi Ominde
Joyce Ekeme Ikubor
Jennifer Efe Jaiyeoba-Ojigho
Orovwoghene Faithful Omoro
Patrick Sunday Igbigbi
author_sort Beryl Shitandi Ominde
collection DOAJ
description Background: The piriform aperture (PA) is a midface structure that forms the anterior skeletal boundary of the nose. It is highly variant due to its physiological adaptations to the climate. Its variations are useful in forensic identification and reconstructive surgeries of the face. This study aimed at determining the PA’s dimensions and their accuracy in sex determination. Materials and Methods: The PA’s dimensions were retrospectively examined using 336 (199 males and 137 females) adult cranial computed tomography images in the database of the radiology unit of a university teaching hospital in Delta State, Nigeria, following institutional authorization. The aperture’s index was calculated as a ratio of height to width. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 23. The sexual dimorphism in the parameters was assessed using an independent t-test. Association among the continuous variables was analyzed by Pearson’s correlation test. P = 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The percentage accuracy for correct sex prediction was assessed using the discriminant function analysis. Results: A significant relationship between dimensions with sex was observed (P < 0.05). The width of the aperture was the best sex-discriminating parameter (70.2%). The overall accuracy for sex discrimination using the aperture’s dimensions was 75.0%. Conclusion: This study provides the standard ranges for the PA’s width and height, valuable for surgical planning. These dimensions were sexually dimorphic and demonstrated an acceptable overall accuracy of correct sex allocation (75%). Consequently, this aperture may be utilized as a supplementary tool in conjunction with other methods for sex determination within studied population.
format Article
id doaj-art-f5b79343e6bf4a2f9a8b57b4f02fbb86
institution Kabale University
issn 2070-1128
2227-4081
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
record_format Article
series Mustansiriya Medical Journal
spelling doaj-art-f5b79343e6bf4a2f9a8b57b4f02fbb862025-01-14T06:48:38ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsMustansiriya Medical Journal2070-11282227-40812024-12-01232788310.4103/mj.mj_67_23Morphometric Assessment of the Piriform Aperture and Its Clinical and Forensic ApplicationsBeryl Shitandi OmindeJoyce Ekeme IkuborJennifer Efe Jaiyeoba-OjighoOrovwoghene Faithful OmoroPatrick Sunday IgbigbiBackground: The piriform aperture (PA) is a midface structure that forms the anterior skeletal boundary of the nose. It is highly variant due to its physiological adaptations to the climate. Its variations are useful in forensic identification and reconstructive surgeries of the face. This study aimed at determining the PA’s dimensions and their accuracy in sex determination. Materials and Methods: The PA’s dimensions were retrospectively examined using 336 (199 males and 137 females) adult cranial computed tomography images in the database of the radiology unit of a university teaching hospital in Delta State, Nigeria, following institutional authorization. The aperture’s index was calculated as a ratio of height to width. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 23. The sexual dimorphism in the parameters was assessed using an independent t-test. Association among the continuous variables was analyzed by Pearson’s correlation test. P = 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The percentage accuracy for correct sex prediction was assessed using the discriminant function analysis. Results: A significant relationship between dimensions with sex was observed (P < 0.05). The width of the aperture was the best sex-discriminating parameter (70.2%). The overall accuracy for sex discrimination using the aperture’s dimensions was 75.0%. Conclusion: This study provides the standard ranges for the PA’s width and height, valuable for surgical planning. These dimensions were sexually dimorphic and demonstrated an acceptable overall accuracy of correct sex allocation (75%). Consequently, this aperture may be utilized as a supplementary tool in conjunction with other methods for sex determination within studied population.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/mj.mj_67_23heightindexpiriform aperturesex determinationwidth
spellingShingle Beryl Shitandi Ominde
Joyce Ekeme Ikubor
Jennifer Efe Jaiyeoba-Ojigho
Orovwoghene Faithful Omoro
Patrick Sunday Igbigbi
Morphometric Assessment of the Piriform Aperture and Its Clinical and Forensic Applications
Mustansiriya Medical Journal
height
index
piriform aperture
sex determination
width
title Morphometric Assessment of the Piriform Aperture and Its Clinical and Forensic Applications
title_full Morphometric Assessment of the Piriform Aperture and Its Clinical and Forensic Applications
title_fullStr Morphometric Assessment of the Piriform Aperture and Its Clinical and Forensic Applications
title_full_unstemmed Morphometric Assessment of the Piriform Aperture and Its Clinical and Forensic Applications
title_short Morphometric Assessment of the Piriform Aperture and Its Clinical and Forensic Applications
title_sort morphometric assessment of the piriform aperture and its clinical and forensic applications
topic height
index
piriform aperture
sex determination
width
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/mj.mj_67_23
work_keys_str_mv AT berylshitandiominde morphometricassessmentofthepiriformapertureanditsclinicalandforensicapplications
AT joyceekemeikubor morphometricassessmentofthepiriformapertureanditsclinicalandforensicapplications
AT jenniferefejaiyeobaojigho morphometricassessmentofthepiriformapertureanditsclinicalandforensicapplications
AT orovwoghenefaithfulomoro morphometricassessmentofthepiriformapertureanditsclinicalandforensicapplications
AT patricksundayigbigbi morphometricassessmentofthepiriformapertureanditsclinicalandforensicapplications