American Journal of Neuroradiology 26:89-92, January 2005
© 2005 American Society of Neuroradiology
HEAD AND NECK
Evaluation of Platybasia with MR Imaging
a Department of Radiologic Sciences, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
b Department of Neuroradiology, Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
c St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA
Address reprint requests to Robert Koenigsberg DO, FAOCR, Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Radiologic Sciences, Mail Stop 206, 245 N. 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1192
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Platybasia, or abnormal obtuseness of the basal angle, was first measured on plain skull images. At present, evaluation of the brain and skull more commonly involves CT and MR imaging. We evaluated a new MR imaging method of evaluating platybasia.
METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated midline sagittal MR images in 200 adults and 50 children. The basal angle of the skull base was measured by using two methods: The standard MR imaging technique measured the angle formed by two lines—one joining the nasion and the center of the pituitary fossa connected by a line joining the anterior border of the foramen magnum and center of the pituitary fossa. The modified technique measured the angle formed by a line across the anterior cranial fossa and dorsum sellae connecting a line along the clivus.
RESULTS: With the standard MR imaging technique, we obtained mean angles of 129° ± 6° for adults and 127° ± 5° for children, compared with 135.3° (composite mean) in previous series. The modified technique produced values of 117° ± 6° for adults and 114° ± 5° for children, which were significantly lower that those of standard MR imaging and traditional radiography (P < .05).
CONCLUSION: Both the standard and modified MR imaging techniques produced basal angles lower than those previously reported with standard radiography. The modified technique uses clearly featured landmarks that can be reproduced consistently on midline sagittal T1 images. This technique and its corresponding values can be used as the new standard for evaluating the basal angle.