The Basal Angle in the Clinical Diagnosis of Otosclerosis

Abstract

In a study of human skulls, Sercer stated that changes may occur in the form of the base of the skull which may be responsible for the development of otosclerosis. The size of the sphenoidal angle was, he said, an indicator of these changes and might be useful in the clinical diagnosis of otosclerosis. In order to confirm this theory, the sphenoidal angle was measured from lateral skull roentgenograms of 25 patients suffering from otosclerosis and 105 control patients with a skull injury. No significant difference was found in the mean sphenoidal angles of the two groups nor was there any correlation between the size of the sphenoidal angle and the age of the patient in either group. The theory could thus not be confirmed and it was concluded that the sphenoidal angle cannot be employed as a criterion in the clinical diagnosis of otosclerosis.