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Anatomy of the pterygopalatine fossa: an innovative metrical assessment based on 3D segmentation on head CT-scan

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Abstract

Purpose

The pterygopalatine fossa is an important anatomical structure for several surgical and anaesthesiologic procedures; yet, very few data are available about its size. This study aims at providing a metrical assessment of pterygopalatine fossa through an innovative 3D segmentation procedure on head CT-scans.

Methods

CT-scans from 100 patients (50 males and 50 females) aged between 18 and 85 years were chosen for the study. Right and left pterygopalatine fossae were segmented through ITK-SNAP open source software. Height and volume were calculated on the acquired 3D models. In addition, anterior–posterior nasal spine distance, upper facial height (nasion–prosthion) and biorbital breadth (ectoconchion–ectoconchion) were measured as well. Statistically significant differences of height and volume according to sex and side were assessed through two-way ANOVA test: sexually dimorphic measurements were further assessed through one-way ANCOVA test using the three cranial measurements as covariates (p < 0.05).

Results

On average pterygopalatine fossa height was 24.1 ± 3.5 mm in males, and 22.8 ± 3.4 mm in females, whereas volume was 0.930 ± 0.181 cm3 in males and 0.817 ± 0.157 cm3 in females, with statistically significant differences according to sex (p < 0.05), but not to side (p > 0.05); interaction was negligible for both the measurements. ANCOVA test verified that sexual dimorphism of both measurements is independent from general cranial size (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The present study highlighted the sexual dimorphism of pterygopalatine fossa: results may improve the knowledge of this anatomical structure difficult to explore, but crucial in several fields of clinics and surgery.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Ms. Annalisa Gadler for data collection.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, V. Mangiagalli 31, Milan, Italy

    Daniele Gibelli, Annalisa Cappella, Claudia Dolci & Chiarella Sforza

  2. Reparto di Radiologia, Ospedale Fatebenefratelli, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy

    Michaela Cellina & Antonio Giancarlo Oliva

  3. Reparto di Otorinolaringoiatria, Ospedale Fatebenefratelli, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy

    Stefano Gibelli & Giovanni Termine

  4. Reparto di Radiologia Diagnostica, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy

    Marta Maria Panzeri

Authors
  1. Daniele Gibelli
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  2. Michaela Cellina
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  3. Stefano Gibelli
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  4. Annalisa Cappella
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  5. Marta Maria Panzeri
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  6. Antonio Giancarlo Oliva
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  7. Giovanni Termine
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  8. Claudia Dolci
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  9. Chiarella Sforza
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Contributions

DG: project development, data collection, data analysis, manuscript writing, manuscript editing. MC: project development, data collection, data analysis, manuscript writing, manuscript editing. SG: project development, data collection, manuscript editing. AC: data analysis, manuscript writing, manuscript editing. MMP: data analysis, manuscript editing. AGO: data collection, manuscript editing. GT: data collection, manuscript editing. CD: data analysis, manuscript editing. CS: project development, data analysis, manuscript editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniele Gibelli.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Gibelli, D., Cellina, M., Gibelli, S. et al. Anatomy of the pterygopalatine fossa: an innovative metrical assessment based on 3D segmentation on head CT-scan. Surg Radiol Anat 41, 523–528 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-018-2153-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-018-2153-7

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