An atypical position of the foramen ovale

Abstract

Visual inspection of a dry adult human skull revealed absence of a typical foramen ovale on the left side of the cranial base. The region of the foramen ovale was covered by an osseous lamina, which was continuous with the lateral pterygoid plate and thus formed a wall of an apparent canal, which opened on the lateral side of the pterygoid process. This canal is referred to as an oval canal (canalis ovalis), instead of the foramen ovale. It runs superiorly, medially from the infratemporal fossa, and opens into the middle cranial fossa. The altered osseous morphology of this basicranial region may affect the course of the neurovascular structures which pass through the foramen ovale. As a consequence, clinical symptoms could occur, including paresthesiae of the inner aspect of the cheek and compression and neuralgia of the mandibular nerve or its branches.