Variations in the topography of the infraorbital canal/groove complex: a proposal for classification and its potential usefulness in orbital floor surgery

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to precisely describe and classify the infraorbital canal/groove (IOC/G) complex in dry human skulls and to evaluate the presence of asymmetry in the IOC/G complex. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy orbits of 35 human skulls were investigated.The following distances were measured: the distance between the posterior and anterior margin of the infraorbital groove (S-C); the posterior margin of the infraorbital canal and the infraorbital foramen (C-IOF); and the total length of the infraorbital canal-groove complex (S-C-IOF). The symmetry of the contralateral measurements was analysed. RESULTS: Three types of the IOC/G complex were distinguished: types I, II, III, whose respective incidences were 11.4%, 68.6%, 20.0%. The mean length of the infraorbital groove plus canal complex on the right and left with standard deviation were 27.78±3.69 mm and 28.06±3.37 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented in this study may be particularly helpful for surgery in patients with blow-out fractures and different endoscopic and reconstructive procedures in the region of the inferior orbital wall. The type III IOC/G complex, according to our classification, seems the most likely to be exposed to trauma during surgical manipulations.