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Vol 77, No 2 (2018)
Original article
Submitted: 2017-08-20
Accepted: 2017-10-05
Published online: 2017-11-06
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The sphenopalatine foramen in man: anatomical, radiological and endoscopic study

E.A.A. El-Shaarawy1, S.S. Hassan21
DOI: 10.5603/FM.a2017.0104
·
Pubmed: 29131280
·
Folia Morphol 2018;77(2):345-355.
Affiliations
  1. Anatomy and Embryology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
  2. Department of Medical Education, California University of Science & Medicine, School of Medicine (CalMed), 217 E. Club Center Drive, Suite A, 92408 San Bernardino, California 92408, United States

open access

Vol 77, No 2 (2018)
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Submitted: 2017-08-20
Accepted: 2017-10-05
Published online: 2017-11-06

Abstract

Background: Epistaxis is a frequent problem otorhinolaryngologists faces of in their practice. The variations of the sphenopalatine foramen (SPF) and consequ­ently the artery may be one of the major sources of such bleeding. The present work aimed to localise the site of SPF and also to illustrate its different shapes, number and any other variation.

Materials and methods: In the current study, 20 adult skulls of both sexes with total 40 half skulls were used in addition to 20 heads of adult living subjects of both sexes aged between 30 and 60 years examined with multislice helical com­puted tomography with 3-dimensional reconstruction of SPF. Then, examination of another ten dried skulls with endoscope was performed.

Results: The number of the SPF is varied being single in nearly 80% and multiple in 20% of examined cases. The shape of the foramen also is varied; regular in 67.5% and irregular in 32.5% of all cases. The site of the foramen on the lateral nasal wall is placed in the superior meatus in most of examined skulls (62.5%) while in the rest (37.5%) they are found in the superior meatus and extending to the middle one.

Conclusions: There are variation of the number, shape and site of the SPF, and consequently of the branches of the sphenopalatine artery, and this may explain the surgical failure in management of severe epistaxis. The data obtained from the current work support the predication of more than one sphenopalatine ar­teries and gives ample knowledge on the endoscopic study of the lateral nasal wall and consequently the surgical treatment of severe epistaxis. (Folia Morphol 2018; 77, 2: 345–355)

Abstract

Background: Epistaxis is a frequent problem otorhinolaryngologists faces of in their practice. The variations of the sphenopalatine foramen (SPF) and consequ­ently the artery may be one of the major sources of such bleeding. The present work aimed to localise the site of SPF and also to illustrate its different shapes, number and any other variation.

Materials and methods: In the current study, 20 adult skulls of both sexes with total 40 half skulls were used in addition to 20 heads of adult living subjects of both sexes aged between 30 and 60 years examined with multislice helical com­puted tomography with 3-dimensional reconstruction of SPF. Then, examination of another ten dried skulls with endoscope was performed.

Results: The number of the SPF is varied being single in nearly 80% and multiple in 20% of examined cases. The shape of the foramen also is varied; regular in 67.5% and irregular in 32.5% of all cases. The site of the foramen on the lateral nasal wall is placed in the superior meatus in most of examined skulls (62.5%) while in the rest (37.5%) they are found in the superior meatus and extending to the middle one.

Conclusions: There are variation of the number, shape and site of the SPF, and consequently of the branches of the sphenopalatine artery, and this may explain the surgical failure in management of severe epistaxis. The data obtained from the current work support the predication of more than one sphenopalatine ar­teries and gives ample knowledge on the endoscopic study of the lateral nasal wall and consequently the surgical treatment of severe epistaxis. (Folia Morphol 2018; 77, 2: 345–355)

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Keywords

sphenopalatine foramen site, sphenopalatine foramen number, sphenopalatine foramen radiology, sphenopalatine foramen endoscopy

About this article
Title

The sphenopalatine foramen in man: anatomical, radiological and endoscopic study

Journal

Folia Morphologica

Issue

Vol 77, No 2 (2018)

Article type

Original article

Pages

345-355

Published online

2017-11-06

Page views

2796

Article views/downloads

1682

DOI

10.5603/FM.a2017.0104

Pubmed

29131280

Bibliographic record

Folia Morphol 2018;77(2):345-355.

Keywords

sphenopalatine foramen site
sphenopalatine foramen number
sphenopalatine foramen radiology
sphenopalatine foramen endoscopy

Authors

E.A.A. El-Shaarawy
S.S. Hassan

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