An anatomical evaluation of trigeminal cave using magnetic resonance imaging in children.

Background: To our knowledge, few studies have investigated anatomy of the Trigeminal cave (TC) with neuroimaging modalities. We aimed to evaluate it using thin-sliced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging examination in children.

Materials and methods: The acquired MR imaging examinations between October 2023 and January 2025 of boys and girls aged ≤ 18 years were performed. Total of 557 patients included in the study. According to age ranges, the study population were divided into five groups: Infancy, early childhood, late childhood, prepubescent and postpubescent group. On the sagittal and coronal T2-weighted images, the maximal height, length, diameter of the entrance of the TC the maximal major and minor axes of the TC values were measured on both sides. The morphology of the TC were categorized as bulbous, oval and flat types based on the height to diameter at the entrance ratio of the TC.

Results: The main height and length values of the pre- and postpubescent groups were higher than the infancy group (p = 0.047 and p = 0.041, respectively). There was no statistical difference in the main diameter of the entrance and major and minor axes of the TC values between other groups. The oval type was the most common morphological type of the TC (p = 0.038). The flat type was also found to be the least common type of the TC (p = 0.045).

Conclusions: We have demonstrated the morphometric and morphological features of the TC using thin-sliced MR imaging series in large pediatric population. It is very useful for exploring the anatomy of the TC.