Clinical anatomy of coronoid foramina of mandible and review of its implications in maxillofacial surgery

Abstract

A foramen in the coronoid process of the human mandible is a recently identi ed anatomic variant. This anatomical-radiological study aims to explore the variant foramina using cone beam computed tomography while determining its prevalence and evaluating its variability in terms of unilateral, bilateral, or gender predilection and propose the signi cance of this unique anatomic nding. Mandibular cone beam computed tomography scans from a total of 2,168 patients were evaluated on a prospective and retrospective scale for con rmation of the coronoid foramen after rst identi cation over a panoramic radiograph. The coronoid foramen was found and con rmed in 96 (4.4%) patients. This script identifying the coronoid foramina of mandible becomes requisite research as a foundation for further analysis due to the scarcity of literature on this recent nd.

Medial sigmoid depression prevalence and association with a sigmoid notch: cone beam computed tomography and panoramic image study

“…MSD can be misinterpreted as a coronoid foramen. Even after a CBCT examination MSD may still be misinterpreted as a foramen because of inappropriate thresholding settings in transparent volume-rendered images, or it may be misinterpreted as a break in the bone surface in computed tomography (CT) sections because of metal artifact from metallic objects in the oral cavity, such as dental prosthetic components or filling materials 6 , 7 . The threshold, opacity, and translucency settings in volume-rendered (VR) CT images were selected to display structures deep within the bone surface; consequently, MSD can be erroneously interpreted as a foramen since very thin bone is not visible in such VR images because of the thresholding process 13 , 31 .…”

“…Recently, Nyer Firdoose identified one such variation in the structural morphology of the mandibular coronoid process, which has been elaborated as the coronoid foramen in the oro-facial region 6 . Even though MSD has long been understood to be an anatomical variation, it might be mistaken for an abnormal coronoid foramen when seen on panoramic radiography 6 , 7 . Several other articles in the literature also mentioned MSD as a possible radiographic finding or a differential diagnosis for other pathologies 8 – 12 .…”

Examination of coronoid foramen and coronoid canal with CBCT

“…When the literature was reviewed, six studies examining the coronoid foramen in humans were found, however, there is no study examining the frequency of the coronoid canal in humans [ 3 , 13 , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] ]. Four of these six studies are case report studies.…”

Measurement of Thickness at the Inferior Border of the Mandible Using Computed Tomography Images: A Retrospective Study including 300 Japanese Cases

“…CT or cone-beam CT (CBCT) mandibular measurements are common and have been used in orthodontic [ 17 ], temporomandibular joint [ 18 ], dental implant [ 19 , 20 ], oropharyngeal airway [ 21 ], inferior alveolar nerve [ 22 , 23 ], mandibular third molar [ 24 ], and coronoid foramina [ 25 ] studies. However, these were limited to the alveolar region [ 20 , 24 ], inferior alveolar nerve region [ 19 , 22 , 23 ], mandibular branch [ 17 , 25 , 26 ], and mandibular condyle [ 18 ]. The thickness of the mandible near the inferior margin is partly understood based on clinical experience, imaging studies [ 27 ], and anatomy [ 28 ]; however, such data are rarely reported in the literature.…”

“…CT or cone-beam CT (CBCT) mandibular measurements are common and have been used in orthodontic [17], temporomandibular joint [18], dental implant [19,20], oropharyngeal airway [21], inferior alveolar nerve [22,23], mandibular third molar [24], and coronoid foramina [25] studies. However, these were limited to the alveolar region [20,24], inferior alveolar nerve region [19,22,23], mandibular branch [17,25,26], and mandibular condyle [18].…”