Correlation Analysis of the Pneumatization of the Supraorbital Ethmoid Cell and the Position of the Anterior Ethmoidal Artery.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to measure the supraorbital ethmoid cell (SOEC) and characterize the relationship between the degree of SOEC pneumatization and the position of the anterior ethmoidal artery (AEA) in relation to the skull base.

METHODS: Computed tomography (CT) scans of 100 patients were analyzed. The correlation between the pneumatization of SOEC and the distance of the AEA from the skull base was explored by Spearman's correlation rho efficient test.

RESULTS: The distance of the AEA from skull base was 3.10 (2.60,3.60) mm in patients with SOEC compared with 0.6(0.40,2.10)mm in those without(P < .001). In 50.5% of the patients, the AEA was located below the skull base; the incidence of this localization was significantly higher in those with SOEC than in those without (78.79%vs22.77%, P < .001). Compared to female patients, male patients owned greater SOEC height (9.65vs8.20mm, P = .007). The SOECs volume (r = 0.45, P < .001), height (r = .30, P = .003), and transverse diameter (r = 0.28, P = .005) were all significantly correlated with the distance of the AEA from the skull base.

CONCLUSIONS: The pneumatization of SOEC critically impact the distance between the AEA and skull base. The higher the degree of pneumatization, the farther from the skull base the AEA will be, increasing the risk of complications during nasal endoscopic surgery. These results provide an important reference for protecting the AEA during nasal endoscopic surgery.