Sutural Morphology of the Pterion in Dry Adult Skulls of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Region of Indian Subcontinent

Introduction: The pterion is an important skull landmark being the region where frontal, sphenoid, parietal and squamous parts of temporal bone meet, usually forming an irregular H shaped structure. It is readily apparent on lateral aspect of skull, being approximately 4 cm above zygomatic arch and 3-3.5 cm behind frontozygomatic suture. The pterion was first classified into three types (sphenoparietal, frontotemporal and stellate) by Broca in 1875. Subsequently, four types (sphenoparietal, frontotemporal, stellate, and epipteric) were defined by Murphy (1956).

Material and Method: The present study is based on observation of type of pterion in 500 skulls, randomly selected from stock of skulls belonging to states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Anthropology Museum of department of Anatomy, GSVM medical college, Kanpur. On both sides of each skull, the sutural pattern of the pterion was studied.

Observations and results: Spheno parietal is the most common type of pterion found in about 89.9% of skulls. Frontotemporal pterion is found in 2.3% of the skulls. Stellate type is found in 1.9%. Pterion with a large single and multiple epipteric bones was common found in 5.9% of the skulls.

Conclusion: This data may be of use when planning for surgical approaches to the cranium through this craniometrical points and also when interpreting radiological images.