Assessment of infraorbital foramen position using CT-Scan in a cohort of Cameroonian adults : landmarks in facial surgery and anesthesiology

Backgroung the infraorbital foramen (IOF) is a hole located in the maxillary bone and delivering passage to the infra orbital vascular-nervous bundle. It is an essential structure in the management of orofacial pathologies. Its precise location allows optimal anesthesia of the infraorbital nerve during cleft lip and palate surgery or alcoholization during the management of essential V2 neuralgia. The aim of our research was to determine the morphology and morphometry of the infraorbital foramen in a sample of the Cameroonian population. Methods: we included 208 CT-Scans of patients meeting our search criteria. We determined the shape of the IOF and evaluated the transverse and vertical diameters of the IOF. We assessed the distance of the IOF from the maxillary alveolar crest, the lateral border of the piriform aperture and the infraorbital margin. The Student test was used to determine the association between different variables. the P-value of 0.05 was considered significant and the confidence interval was 95%. Results: : The mean transverse diameter of the left IOF was 1.97 mm ± 0.51 while 1.78 mm ± 0.53. The IOF was more often medial to the lateral palpebral commissure- nasal wing line on the left and right (78.8% and 72.6%, respectively). Our sample showed that in 35.6% (n=94) of subjects, the IOF was round on the left, whereas it was round in 45.2% (n=94) of patients. Conclusion: the position of the IOF is of particular interest in the management of facial pathologies. Knowing its location makes it possible to avoid a section of the infraorbital neurovascular bundle that can cause sometimes irreversible sequelae.