Diameter of the Inferior Alveolar Canal - A Comparative CT and Macroscopic Study of Sudanese Cadaveric Mandibles

BACKGROUND CT scan is a reliable diagnostic method of head and neck pathology. In patients with oral cancer, it is of great value in detecting bone invasion, as well as perineural spread. The latter usually results in widening of the bony canals and foramina. This study aimed to validate the use of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of evolution of medical and dental sciences Vol. 10; no. 6; pp. 342 - 346
Main Authors Hamid, Mashail Mahmoud, Suliman, Ahmed Mohamed
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Akshantala Enterprises Private Limited 08.02.2021
Subjects
Comparative analysis
CT imaging
Diagnostic imaging
Sudan
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Summary:BACKGROUND CT scan is a reliable diagnostic method of head and neck pathology. In patients with oral cancer, it is of great value in detecting bone invasion, as well as perineural spread. The latter usually results in widening of the bony canals and foramina. This study aimed to validate the use of CT scan for assessment of inferior alveolar canal (IAC) dimensions, measure the dimensions of the inferior alveolar canal at different sites in normal cadaveric mandibles and determine the accuracy of CT scan in measuring inferior alveolar canal dimensions. METHODS In this observational study, five complete human cadaveric mandibles were marked at six different positions from the distal border of the mental foramina. The mandibles were CT scanned in the coronal plane at the marked positions and the inner width and height of the canal were measured. Afterwards, the specimens were sectioned longitudinally at matching locations of CT cuts marked positioned and canal dimensions were measured macroscopically using a digital calliper. The two sets of measurements were then compared. Right and left sides measurements were also compared. RESULTS Pearson correlation coefficient showed moderate linear correlation for measured variables. Regarding the height of the canal, the findings showed no significant difference between the two methods (p > 0.05). However, for the width, there was significant statistical difference between CT measurements and the manual ones (p < 0.05). A statistically significant difference was also found in the dimensions of the canal between the right and left sides (p < 0.05) CONCLUSIONS Measuring the inferior alveolar canal dimension using CT scan is not absolutely accurate. KEY WORDS Computed Tomography (CT), Inferior Alveolar Canal (IAC), Diameter
ISSN:2278-4748
2278-4802
DOI:10.14260/jemds/2021/77