Topographic Anatomy of the Fornix as a Guide for the Transcallosal-Interforniceal Approach With a Special Emphasis on Sex Differences

Abstract

The topographic anatomy and morphometry of the fornix is important for standardizing the transcallosal-interforniceal approach and avoiding memory disturbances. The detailed morphometry of the fornix was investigated with a special emphasis on sex differences using midsagittal magnetic resonance imaging of 80 males and 102 females. Various parameters of the fornix, including the length of the upper and lower fornices, the curvature of the upper and lower fornices, and the insertion point of the fornix to corpus callosum, were investigated. The thickness of the fornix at the attachment point to the anterior commissure, the maximum distance to the upper and lower surfaces of the fornix, and the curvature of the upper and lower fornices showed sex differences (p < 0.5). The upper insertion point of the fornix to the corpus callosum was more frontal in females, but the functional relevance of these differences need further investigation.