Morphometric Assessment of the Optic Canal Using Computed Tomography: A Single-Centre Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Population- and protocol-related variation may influence optic canal measurements. This study evaluated computed tomography–based optic canal morphometry in adults examined at a single centre in Moradabad, India.
Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included 100 adults aged 18–60 years undergoing clinically indicated non-contrast head computed tomography. Orbital-opening width, central canal width, cranial-opening width, canal length and distance from the midsagittal plane were measured bilaterally on axial bone-window images. Bilateral differences, sex-related variation and associations with age were examined, including adjusted linear mixed-effects models.
Results: Participants had a mean age of 40.55±12.37 years; 70 were male and 30 female. Right/left mean measurements were 3.52/3.55 mm for orbital opening, 3.61/3.70 mm for central canal, 4.00/4.17 mm for cranial opening, 6.90/7.05 mm for canal length and 11.72/11.83 mm for midsagittal-plane distance. After adjustment, males had larger orbital, central and cranial widths and midsagittal-plane distances than females (all FDR-adjusted P<0.001), but canal length did not differ. Only central canal width remained significantly greater on the left (adjusted difference, 0.093 mm; FDR-adjusted P=0.026). No age-related association remained significant after FDR correction.
Conclusion: Optic canal morphometry demonstrated clear sex-related differences but limited bilateral and age-related variation, providing context-specific anatomical data for CT interpretation in this adult population.