Department of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Bursa Uludağ University, Faculty of Dentistry, Bursa, Turkey.
Department of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Ankara University, Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara, Turkey.
Folia Morphol (Warsz). 2021;80(4):923-934. doi: 10.5603/FM.a2020.0118. Epub 2020 Oct 21.
Description of the nasopalatine canal (NPC) is important for planning surgical treatment and comprehension of the morphology and pathogenesis of lesions that occur in the anterior maxilla. The goal of this study was to analyse the dimensions and anatomic characteristics of the NPC on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans, to determine the incidence of anatomical variation; and to assess the correlations of these variables with age, gender, and dental status.
A total of 320 individual CBCT images were included. Reformatted sagittal, coronal and axial slices were evaluated. Sagittal images were used for measurements of the NPC and to classified shape and direction-course of the NPC. Coronal images were used to analyse the NPC division levels and axial images were used to detect the number of palatal and nasal opening.
The mean NPC length was 11.45 ± 2.50 mm; statistically significant differences were detected between males and females (p < 0.05). Mean nasopalatine angle was 76.26 ± 8.12°; significant differences were detected in sagittal and coronal classifications. The most common canal was: funnel-shaped (29%), slanted-curved direction-course (53.1%), middle third division level (43.1%), and one incisive foramen with two Stenson's foramina (1-2) (77.2%).
The current study ensures new findings on the literature concerning the description of the anatomical structure of the canal. Also, the study highlights a significant variability in the anatomy and morphology of the NPC. Therefore, three-dimensional analysis of this structure is important for facilitating surgical management and preventing possible complications in this area.
描述鼻腭管（NPC）对于规划手术治疗以及理解上颌前部发生的病变的形态和发病机制非常重要。本研究的目的是分析锥形束 CT（CBCT）扫描中 NPC 的尺寸和解剖特征，确定解剖变异的发生率，并评估这些变量与年龄、性别和牙齿状况的相关性。
共纳入 320 例个体 CBCT 图像。评估了矢状位、冠状位和轴位的重建图像。矢状位图像用于 NPC 的测量，并对 NPC 的形状和方向进行分类。冠状位图像用于分析 NPC 的分支水平，轴位图像用于检测腭和鼻开口的数量。
NPC 的平均长度为 11.45 ± 2.50mm；男性和女性之间存在统计学显著差异（p < 0.05）。平均鼻腭角为 76.26 ± 8.12°；在矢状位和冠状位分类中存在显著差异。最常见的管腔为：漏斗形（29%）、倾斜弯曲的方向（53.1%）、中三分之一分支水平（43.1%）和一个切牙孔伴两个 Stenson 孔（1-2）（77.2%）。
本研究保证了有关该管腔解剖结构描述的文献中的新发现。此外，该研究强调了 NPC 的解剖和形态存在显著的可变性。因此，对该结构进行三维分析对于促进手术管理和预防该区域可能发生的并发症非常重要。
