Szczepanek Elżbieta, Toppich Julia, Ostrowski Patryk, Bonczar Michał, Nasser Ameen, Dziedzic Martyna, Walocha Jerzy, Koziej Mateusz
Department of Anatomy, Jagiellonian University Medical College Cracow, 31-034 Kraków, Poland.
Doctoral School in Medical Sciences and Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-008 Kraków, Poland.
J Clin Med. 2024 Mar 15;13(6):1695. doi: 10.3390/jcm13061695.
The anatomical characteristics of the anterior ethmoidal artery (AEA) exhibit a high degree of variability, especially regarding its topography. PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were searched to identify all studies that included information regarding the morphometric and topographical characteristics of the AEA. Ultimately, a compilation of 38 studies meeting the predetermined criteria, and possessing comprehensive and pertinent data, were incorporated into the current meta-analysis. In the overall analysis, reports of the AEA being embedded within the skull base or at the level of the skull base producing a bony protrusion were found in 56.91% of cases (95% CI: 43.55-69.80%). The mean diameters of the AEA in the intraorbital and intracranial areas were 0.94 mm and 0.76 mm, respectively. Moreover, the artery coursed most commonly between the second and third lamellae, with a prevalence of 65.82% (95% CI: 55.39-75.56%). The AEA may be at a high risk of iatrogenic injury during various sinus and skull base surgeries, especially if the surgeon performing these procedures is unfamiliar with the vast number of variations this vessel may exhibit. The spatial relationship between this vessel and the skull base is especially variable, and understanding this variability goes hand in hand with intraoperative safety.
筛前动脉（AEA）的解剖学特征具有高度变异性，尤其是在其局部解剖方面。检索了PubMed、Scopus、Embase、Web of Science、Cochrane图书馆和谷歌学术，以识别所有包含AEA形态学和局部解剖学特征信息的研究。最终，38项符合预定标准且拥有全面相关数据的研究被纳入当前的荟萃分析。在总体分析中，发现56.91%的病例（95%置信区间：43.55 - 69.80%）报告AEA包埋于颅底内或在颅底水平形成骨质隆起。AEA在眶内和颅内区域的平均直径分别为0.94毫米和0.76毫米。此外，该动脉最常见走行于第二和第三骨片之间，发生率为65.82%（95%置信区间：55.39 - 75.56%）。在各种鼻窦和颅底手术中，AEA可能有较高的医源性损伤风险，特别是如果实施这些手术的外科医生不熟悉该血管可能呈现的大量变异情况。该血管与颅底之间的空间关系尤其多变，了解这种变异性对于术中安全至关重要。
