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. 2013 Mar;43(1):37-44.
doi: 10.5624/isd.2013.43.1.37. Epub 2013 Mar 11.

The arterial blood supply of the temporomandibular joint: an anatomical study and clinical implications

Antonino Marco Cuccia  1 , Carola Caradonna, Domenico Caradonna, Giuseppe Anastasi, Demetrio Milardi, Angelo Favaloro, Anita De Pietro, Tommaso Maurizio Angileri, Luigi Caradonna, Giuseppina Cutroneo
Affiliations

The arterial blood supply of the temporomandibular joint: an anatomical study and clinical implications

Antonino Marco Cuccia et al. Imaging Sci Dent. 2013 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze three-dimensional images of the arterial supply to the temporomandibular joint.

Materials and methods: Ten patients (five men and five women, mean age 36 years) without signs or symptoms of temporomandibular disorders, who underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CT) scanning with intravenous contrast, were studied. The direct volume rendering technique of CT images was used, and a data set of images to visualize the vasculature of the human temporomandibular joint in three dimensions was created. After elaboration of the data through post-processing, the arterial supply of the temporomandibular joint was studied.

Results: The analysis revealed the superficial temporal artery, the anterior tympanic artery, the deep temporal artery, the auricular posterior artery, the transverse facial artery, the middle meningeal artery, and the maxillary artery with their branches as the main arterial sources for the lateral and medial temporomandibular joint.

Conclusion: The direct volume rendering technique was found to be successful in the assessment of the arterial supply to the temporomandibular joint. The superficial temporal artery and maxillary artery ran along the lateral and medial sides of the condylar neck, suggesting that these arteries are at increased risk during soft-tissue procedures such as an elective arthroplasty of the temporomandibular joint.

Keywords: Blood Supply; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Temporomandibular Joint; Three-Dimensional Imaging, Computer Generated.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Posterior view of computerized tomography rendering of the temporomandibular joint of a 30-year-old healthy female. The external carotid artery (a), the internal maxillary artery (b), the superficial temporal artery (c), the transverse facial artery (d), with their small diverging arteries (e), the middle meningeal artery (g), the retrodiscal tissue (i), the ramus (l) and the condyle (m)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Posterior and lateral view of computerized tomography rendering of the temporomandibular joint of a 30-year-old healthy female. The external carotid artery (a), the internal maxillary artery (b), the superficial temporal artery (c), the transverse facial artery (d), the inferior dental artery (f), the middle meningeal artery (g), the anterior tympanic artery (h), the retrodiscal tissue (i), the ramus (l) and the condyle (m), the temporal posterior artery (t)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Posterior view of computerized tomography rendering of the temporomandibular joint of a 30-year-old healthy female. The external carotid artery (a), the internal maxillary artery (b), the transverse facial artery (d) with their small diverging arteries (e), the inferior dental artery (f), the middle meningeal artery (g), the anterior timpanic artery (h), the retrodiscal tissue (i), the ramus (l) and the condyle (m)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Computerized tomography rendering of the left temporomandibular joint of a 28-year-old healthy male (A) and diagram (B) show the branches of maxillary artery. The external carotid artery (a), the internal maxillary artery (b), the inferior dental artery (f), the middle meningeal artery (g), the condyle (m), the masseteric artery (n), the pterygoid artery (o), the sphenopalatine artery (p), the sphenopalatine foramen (q), the deep temporal artery (v)
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Lateral angiograms (A) and diagrams (B and C) of the internal maxillary artery and the superficial temporal artery arising from the external carotid artery. The external carotid artery (a), the internal maxillary artery (b), the superficial temporal artery (c), the transverse facial artery (d), the inferior dental artery (f), the masseteric artery (n), the pterygoid artery (o), the sphenopalatine artery (p), the occipital artery (r), the auricular posterior artery (s), the temporal posterior artery (t), the deep temporal anterior artery (u), the deep temporal artery (v)
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