Evaluation of the alveolar antral artery position in the lateral sinus wall using cone-beam computed tomography

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and anatomic position of the alveolar antral artery (AAA) in different tooth regions of patients who underwent maxillary cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging. Materials and Methods: CBCT images of 150 patients (59 males and 91 females) were included in the study. On the coronal images, localization of AAA relative to sinus lateral wall, the diameter of AAA and classification of AAA diameter were recorded for 1st premolar, 2nd premolar, 1st molar, and 2nd molar teeth levels separately. Results: The prevalence of the detected arteries significantly increased antero-posteriorly from the 1st premolar to the 2nd molar (P<0.05). The mean diameter of the AAA was found to be 0.91±0.33 mm (range 0.25-2.90 mm) and the mean diameter of the AAA was significantly greater in males than in females (P=0.001). The AAA diameter increased antero-posteriorly from the 1st premolar to the 2nd molar. When evaluating the position of the arteries in the lateral wall of the sinus, the most frequent type of arteries was intraosseous (57.7%), followed by intrasinusal (39.0%) and superficial (3.3%). It was observed that 95.24% of all superficial type of AAAs was in the 2nd molar region. Discussion: AAA is an important structure and the clinician should be aware of location and course of the artery for surgical procedures. Careful evaluation of the AAA in maxillary sinus on CT images before surgery could reduce the possibility of excess bleeding, especially in molar areas.