Morphometry of the orbital region: A soft-tissue study from adolescence tomid-adulthood

The objective of this study was to gain information about normal sex-relate d linear and angular dimensions of the orbital region; left-right symmetry; and growth changes between adolescence and mid-adulthood. The three-dimens ional coordinates of several soft-tissue landmarks on the orbits and face w ere obtained by an electromagnetic digitizer in 40 male and 33 female adole scents aged 12 to 15 years, 73 female and 89 male young adults aged 19 to 3 0 years, and 41 male and 38 female adults aged 31 to 56 years. From the lan dmarks-binocular and intercanthal widths; paired height and inclination of the orbit relative to both the true horizontal (head in natural head positi on) and Frankfurt plane; length and inclination of the eye fissure; and the orbital height to eye fissure length ratio were calculated and averaged fo r age and sex. Comparisons were performed by factorial analysis of variance . Both the linear dimensions and the angular values were significantly larg er in male subjects than in female subjects of corresponding age (p < 0.05) . A significant effect of age was found (p < 0.05): while the linear distan ces and the orbital height-to-length ratio were greater in older people of the same sex, the inclination of the eye fissure decreased as a function of age. Both orbital inclinations were larger in the young adult group than i n the adolescent and middle-aged groups. On average, the paired measurement s were symmetrical, with similar values within each sex and age group. Data collected in this investigation could serve as a database for the quantita tive description of human orbital morphology during normal adolescent and a dult growth.