The Inferolateral Surgical Triangle of the Cavernous Sinus: A Cadaveric and MRI Study with Neurosurgical Significance

BACKGROUND: The inferolateral triangle is a surgical skull base triangle used as a neurosurgical landmark. There are few reports of its measurements with little attention paid to anatomic variations.METHODS: The inferolateral triangle was measured in 10 adult human cadaveric heads via dissection then direct measurement and 5 participants undergoing neuroimaging using tracing features.RESULTS:In the cadavers, mean lengths (mm) of the superior, anterior, and posterior borders were 17.0 (+/- 5.5), 12.9 (+/- 1.7), and 17.8 (+/- 3.3), respectively, with mean area of 97.85 (+/- 28.17) mm(2). In the participants, mean lengths (mm) of the superior, anterior, and posterior borders were 17.35 (+/- 4.01), 14.36 (+/- 1.36), and 18.01 (+/- 2.43), respectively, with mean area of 113.6 (+/- 25.46) mm(2). No statistical difference in triangle areas between groups was found.CONCLUSIONS: Intimate understanding of the inferolateral triangle is essential to skull-based surgery; knowing its anatomy and variations aids in surgical planning and understanding of regional pathology.

ScholarlyWork@Ochsner