Anatomical study of size variability of temporal and occipital horns of lateral ventricle of human brains: A magnetic resonance imaging study

Introduction: The lateral ventricles lie in each cerebral hemisphere with its three horns and body. The study of normal and variant anatomy of the ventricles of brain is very useful for clinicians and neurosurgeons in their routine practice. This study is directed to look for changes in the size of occipital and temporal horns of the lateral ventricle as per age and sex of the brain by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study. Material and Methods: MRI scans of 55 patients (25 females and 30 males) with age ranging from 1 to 90 years were studied and the diameters of occipital and temporal horns were measured. Data were analyzed with respect to age and sex of individuals. Results: It was observed that the mean diameter of both horns decreases from 1 to 10 years of age group and increases from then to advancing age. No significant gender difference in the dimensions of both the horns of lateral ventricle was observed. Discussion and Conclusion: The present study showed that the age factor is responsible for change in the size of occipital and temporal horns of the lateral ventricle. The present study will be helpful to radiologists and neurosurgeons to differentiate the enlarged size of occipital and temporal horns by aging from that of other pathological conditions.