Int J Anat Res 2017, 5(3.1):4096-99. ISSN 2321-4287 4096 Original Research Article A STUDY ON SUTURAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE PTERION IN ADULT DRY SKULL IN SOUTH INDIAN ETHNIC GROUP Qudsia Sultana * 1 , Mohammad Hafeezulla Shariff 2 , Venkatesh Kamatth 3 , Ramakrishna Avadhani 4 . ABSTRACT Address for Correspondence: Dr.Qudusia Sultana, Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore, India- 575018. Mobile: +91-7899114567. Mobile: +91- 7899114567 E-Mail: qudsia.shariff@yahoo.co.in Introduction: The latest advances in the field of pterional keyhole surgeries make it imperative for a neurosurgeon to understand the sutural morphology of pterion prior to the surgery. Materials and Methods: The sutural morphology of the pterion was studied bilaterally in 98adult skulls (62 male and 36 female) of south Indian ethnic group. The pterion was classified into four types namely sphenoparietal, frontotemporal, stellate and epipteric and the frequency of each type was observed bilaterally and in either sex and recorded. Results: Sphenoparietal was observed to be the commonest type of the pterion comprising 81.61%, followed by epipteric and frontotemporal varieties comprising 7.63 and 6.63% respectively and stellate was observed to be the least common variety with 3.55%. Conclusion: The pterion is an important neurosurgical landmark due to the presence of vital structures beneath it such as the insula, middle meningeal artery, Broca’s area, optic nerve and the circle of Willis. It provides lateral access to these structures and enables surgical treatment of vascular aneurysms of circle of Willis, tumours and optic meningiomas. The novel advances in the field of pterional keyhole surgeries increases its significance and a neurosurgeon must essentially understand its sutural morphology prior to surgery. KEY WORDS: Neurosurgical Implications, Pterion, Pterionic Approach, Sutural Morphology. INTRODUCTION International Journal of Anatomy and Research, Int J Anat Res 2017, Vol 5(3.1):4096-99. ISSN 2321-4287 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.16965/ijar.2017.260 Access this Article online Quick Response code Web site: International Journal of Anatomy and Research ISSN 2321-4287 www.ijmhr.org/ijar.htm DOI: 10.16965/ijar.2017.260 *1 Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India. 2 Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India. 3 Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India. 4 Professor, Department of Anatomy, Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India. Received: 05 May 2017 Peer Review: 05 May 2017 Revised: 18 May 2017 Accepted: 18 Jun 2017 Published (O): 31 Jul 2017 Published (P): 31 Jul 2017 wing of sphenoid and the squamous part of temporal bone representing the neonatal ante- rolateral fontanelle [1]. It was Murphy who first classified pterion into four types. The four types Pterion is an H shaped suture on the lateral aspect of the skull marking the confluence of the frontal bone, the parietal bone, the greater