Some aspects of the craniometry of adult Nigerian indigenous pigs (Sus scrofa) and its application in regional anaesthesia

Abstract

Regional anatomy is an important component of surgical and clinical practice because it helps clinicians envisage the specifics of the structures relevant to the case at hand. This study was designed to evaluate some clinically important indices which could aid regional anesthesia of the head in the Nigerian indigenous pig (NIP). Twenty-four (10 males and 14 females) skulls of adult NIP were examined to record 10 parameters. Data obtained were statistically analysed using the Student’s t-test and Pearson Correlation, with significance set at p<0.05. The study revealed that 50% of the indices were higher in female skulls but were not statistically significant. The mandibular length was, however, significantly longer in male skulls (19.0 ± 0.41), compared to females (18.0 ± 0.26). The distance from the facial crest to the infraorbital foramen was 1.3 ± 0.10 cm and 1.5 ± 0.08 cm, while that from the supraorbital foramen to the nasal bone was 2.1 ± 0.06 cm and 1.9 ± 0.06 cm, in male and female skulls, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship between the distance from the facial crest to infraorbital foramen and that from infraorbital foramen to medial canthus of the orbit (r=.669). An accessory supraorbital foramen was seen in 12 (50%) of all the 24 skulls, just as several lateral mental foramina were observed on the rostro-lateral surface of the mandibular rami. Data generated provide clinically important information on the skull of adult Nigerian indigenous pigs which can be used as landmarks for tracking and desensitizing the branches of the frontal nerve (supraorbital), the maxillary nerve (Infraorbital) and the mandibular nerve, during the regional anaesthesia of the head, for tooth extraction procedures and the treatment of injuries and fractures. These results may also be useful for comparative anatomical, developmental, forensic, and clinical studies.