A quantitative method for the evaluation of three-dimensional structure of temporal bone pneumatization.

ABSTRACT: Temporal bone pneumatization has been included in lists of characters used in phylogenetic analyses of human evolution. While studies suggest that the extent of pneumatization has decreased over the course of human evolution, little is known about the processes underlying these changes or their significance. In short, reasons for the observed reduction and the potential reorganization within pneumatized spaces are unknown. Technological limitations have limited previous analyses of pneumatization in extant and fossil species to qualitative observations of the extent of temporal bone pneumatization. In this paper, we introduce a novel application of quantitative methods developed for the study of trabecular bone to the analysis of pneumatized spaces of the temporal bone. This method utilize

SUBMITTER: Hill CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2837910 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature