Radiologic analysis of the location, shape and size of the external aperture of the carotid canal in children

• Published in: Surgical and radiologic anatomy (English ed.) Vol. 42; no. 7; pp. 749 - 759
• Main Authors: Ten, Barış, Beger, Orhan, Direk, Meltem Çobanoğulları, Balcı, Yüksel, Çiçek, Fatih, Özalp, Hakan, Hamzaoğlu, Vural, Temel, Gülhan, Vayisoğlu, Yusuf, Bağdatoğlu, Celal, Talas, Derya Ümit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris Springer Paris 01.07.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age groups; Anatomy; Canals (anatomy); Carotid arteries; Carotid Artery, Internal - anatomy & histology; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Computed tomography; Female; Humans; Imaging; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Medical imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Orthopedics; Otolaryngology; Otology; Radiology; Retrospective Studies; Skull; Skull Base - blood supply; Skull Base - diagnostic imaging; Surgery; Temporal Bone - blood supply; Temporal Bone - diagnostic imaging; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Veins & arteries; Young Adult; Computed tomography; Skull base; Morphometry; Carotid canal; Childhood
• ISSN: 0930-1038; 1279-8517
• DOI: 10.1007/s00276-020-02448-0

Objectives This retrospective computed tomography (CT) study was aimed to assess the growth dynamic of the external aperture of the carotid canal (EACC) in children aged between 1 and 20 years. Methods Two hundred patients (sex 100 females/100 males, average age 10.50 ± 5.77 years) with good head CT image quality were included in this study. CT images of the patients were used to obtain data related to the location, shape and dimension of EACC. Results EACC shapes were identified as oval shaped, round shaped, and tear-drop shaped in 58.3% (233 sides), 24% (96 sides) and 17.8% (71 sides), respectively. EACC length, disEACC–MSP (distance between EACC and midsagittal plane), and EACC width did not change from the prepubescence period; while, the disEACC–SC (distance between EACC and supramastoid crest) seemed to reach adult size in the postpubescence period. Linear functions for EACC length and width were calculated as: y  = 5.453 + 0.091 × years, and y  = 5.398 + 0.059 × years, respectively. Conclusion The regression equations of the measured parameters representing the growth dynamic of EACC in children can be helpful to estimate its size, location and angulation, which suggest that the dimension and distances to certain anatomical landmarks seemed to reach adult size in different developmental periods. In this context, the findings of this study may seem to emphasize the importance of preoperative radiological evaluation on skull base, related to EACC, for multidisciplinary surgeon teams during childhood surgeries in terms of patients’ positioning, and the selection of appropriate surgical approach.