A Study on Head Positioning during Panoramic Radiography of the Pterygopalatine Fossa

DOI
  • Ichiko Takashi
    Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Diagnosis, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine
  • Igarashi Chinami
    Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Diagnosis, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine
  • Sugisaki Masashi
    Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Diagnosis, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine
  • Wakae-Morita Satsuki
    Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Diagnosis, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine
  • Ito Hirokazu
    Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Diagnosis, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine
  • Kobayashi Kaoru
    Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Diagnosis, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • パノラマX線撮影における頭部位置づけによる翼口蓋窩の描出能

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Description

Objective: To determine the optimal angle at which the head should be positioned to clearly visualize the pterygopalatine fossa （PPF） during panoramic radiography, we investigated which anatomical components of the PPF most affect its visualization.<br>Materials and methods: Ten dry adult skulls were used. The rotation angle （RA） of the skull in the Frankfurt plane parallel to the floor was defined as 0 degrees on the sagittal plane at the upper margin of the external auditory canals. The skull was then imaged every 5° in the range of +15° from -15°. Three radiologists evaluated 5 regions （the whole of the PPF, the middle cranial fossa （region A）, the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus （region B）, the anterior border of the lateral plate of the pterygoid process （region C）, and the part where the lateral plate and the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus come closest to each other （region D）） on each image and rated each region on a 5-point scale. The results were then categorized into clear （Group A） and unclear （Group B） groups. Binominal logistic regression analysis （LRA） was used for the statistical analysis.<br>Results: Many of the examinations performed at RA of -5°, 0°, and +5° resulted in clear results and so were classified into Group A, and thus, the other RA were categorized as Group B. The LRA detected significant odds ratios （OR） for region B （OR ＝ 6.344）, region C （OR ＝ 4.678）, and region A （OR ＝ 2.117） in Group A, and region C （OR ＝ 4.582） and region A （OR ＝ 2.472） in Group B.<br>Conclusion: Panoramic radiographs taken at RA of -5°, 0°, and -5° clearly depicted the PPF. The most critical structure for ensuring clear visualization of the whole pterygopalatine fossa is the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus, followed by the anterior border of the lateral plate of the pterygoid process, and the middle cranial fossa.

Journal

  • Shika Hoshasen

    Shika Hoshasen 56 (2), 76-82, 2017

    Japanese Society for Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology

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