Moodley Sherelle, Ishwarkumar Sundika, Pillay Pamela
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Folia Morphol (Warsz). 2024;83(1):66-71. doi: 10.5603/FM.a2023.0024. Epub 2023 Apr 5.
The interaction between the auriculotemporal nerve and the middle meningeal artery within the infratemporal fossa is vital in the spread of perineural tumours. Knowledge of their morphological and morphometric variations is critical to surgeons approaching the infratemporal fossa. There is a paucity of literature on the relationship between the auriculotemporal nerve and middle meningeal artery in a South African population. Hence, the aim of this study was to document the morphology and morphometry of the auriculotemporal nerve and its relationship to the middle meningeal artery within a South African cohort.
The infratemporal fossae of 32 cadaveric specimens were dissected and the auriculotemporal nerves and middle meningeal arteries were analysed, together with their variations.
Nine out of 32 specimens displayed one-root, 14/32 two-root, 7/32 three-root, and 2/32 four-root auriculotemporal nerves. Eighteen auriculotemporal nerves originated from the mandibular nerve, while the rest had at least one communication to the inferior alveolar nerve. The mean distance between the first and second roots of the auriculotemporal nerve was 4.69 mm. There were V-shaped formations found in 23 auriculotemporal nerves. However, the middle meningeal artery only passed through 13/23 V-shapes. The maxillary artery was of a deep course in relation to the lateral pterygoid muscle in 19/32 and superficial in 13/32 of the sample. There were 15 accessory middle meningeal arteries present in 14/32 specimens. The accessory middle meningeal arteries often arose from the middle meningeal artery (46.67%).
The results of this study show a high possibility of variations of the auriculotemporal nerve and middle meningeal artery in the South African population. The variations and interactions should be considered during surgical procedures.
颞下窝内耳颞神经与脑膜中动脉之间的相互作用在神经周围肿瘤的扩散中至关重要。了解它们的形态和形态测量变异对于接近颞下窝的外科医生来说至关重要。关于南非人群中耳颞神经与脑膜中动脉之间关系的文献很少。因此，本研究的目的是记录南非队列中耳颞神经的形态和形态测量及其与脑膜中动脉的关系。
解剖32个尸体标本的颞下窝，分析耳颞神经和脑膜中动脉及其变异情况。
32个标本中，9个显示单根耳颞神经，14个双根，7个三根，2个四根。18条耳颞神经起源于下颌神经，其余至少与下牙槽神经有一处交通。耳颞神经第一和第二根之间的平均距离为4.69毫米。23条耳颞神经中发现有V形结构。然而，脑膜中动脉仅穿过13个V形结构。在样本中，上颌动脉相对于翼外肌走行较深的有19个，较浅的有13个。32个标本中有14个存在15条脑膜中副动脉。脑膜中副动脉常起源于脑膜中动脉（46.67%）。
本研究结果表明南非人群中耳颞神经和脑膜中动脉变异的可能性很高。手术过程中应考虑这些变异和相互作用。
