Cephalometric Analysis of Sella Turcica for Age Determination from Sokoto, Nigeria: A Radiological Study

Abstract

Cephalometry deals with the measurement of the head or radiological specimen of the head. Sella turcica is an important anatomical structure located in the middle cranial fossa, housing the pituitary gland. Various shapes and sizes of the sellae turcica have been reported. However, in this study, using computerized tomographic (CT) scans, one hundred and seventy-five (175) scans were analyzed using Radiant version 4.2 for determination of sizes and shapes of the sella. Average dimensions from the study include length (12.4mm), A-P diameter (14.1 m), depth (9.6 mm) and transverse diameter (13.8mm). Shapes were classified as being round (56.6%), oval (32%) and flat (11.4%). Males tend to have higher sella sizes than females and there are statistically               significant differences between them especially in respect to A-P diameter and length parameters. Also, there is a statistically significant relationship between age groups in terms of A-P diameter and depth of the sella turcica. However, there is no correlation between age and shapes found in the study.