An anatomical road map of the parapharyngeal internal carotid artery in lateral and endoscopic ventral approaches

• Published in: Lin chuang er bi yan hou tou jing wai ke za zhi = Journal of clinical otorhinolaryngology, head, and neck surgery Vol. 38; no. 6; pp. 477 - 484
• Main Authors: Meng, Qingguo, Chen, Tao, Fang, Li, Ding, Yue, Yang, Jiaxin, Qin, Debo, Kong, Weixiao, Sun, Xicai, Lu, Yongtian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 01.06.2024
• Subjects: Cadaver; Carotid Artery, Internal - anatomy & histology; Endoscopy; Humans; Parapharyngeal Space - anatomy & histology; Skull Base - anatomy & histology; parapharyngeal internal carotid artery; endoscopic ventral approach; parapharyngeal space
• ISSN: 2096-7993
• DOI: 10.13201/j.issn.2096-7993.2024.06.005

To describe the road map of the lateral and endoscopic ventral approaches for the pharyngeal segment of the internal carotid artery, propose a sub-segmentation scheme, systematically and comprehensively understand its anatomical details and relationships with the surrounding structures. Five fresh cadaveric head specimens（10 sides in total） were dissected through lateral and endoscopic ventral approaches to evaluate the anatomical details of the parapharyngeal internal carotid artery and its relationship with the surrounding structures. From the bifurcation of the common carotid artery to the vertical part of the internal carotid artery, alongside the direction of blood flow, the parapharyngeal internal carotid artery passes through four distinct anatomical tissues. Based on this, the parapharyngeal internal carotid artery can be divided into four sub-segments: nerve, muscle, fascia and osseous sub-segments. The boundaries and important adjacent structures of each segment are described in detail. The anatomic