Influence of pneumatization on morphology of temporal bone-related vasculatures and their morphometric relationship with ear regions: a computed tomography study

Abstract

Anatomical variations in the location and position of temporal bone-related vasculature are routinely encountered in clinical practice, contributing to clinical syndromes and complexities in ear-related and neurological surgeries. Pneumatization of the temporal bone (TB) is one of several factors that have been hypothesized to influence the variabilities and variations of these vessels. This study aimed to investigate the association between the degree of pneumatization and the morphologies of some TB-related vessels, as well as their morphometrical relationship with ear regions. Observational retrospective chart review of 496 TBs computed tomographic scans were examined. Different degrees of pneumatization were observed, with hyper-pneumatization being the most common and hypo-pneumatization being the least. Various anatomical variants of the sigmoid sinus (SS), jugular bulb (JB), and internal carotid artery (ICA) were observed. Distances of SS and JB to ear regions were observed to have significant differences (p < 0.05) in laterality. These distances increased relative to increased air cells, showing a significant association (p < 0.05). A significant association (p < 0.001) was also observed between the degree of pneumatization and variants of JB and ICA. High JB, JB dehiscence, and ICA dehiscence were significantly associated with increased pneumatization, while flat JB was significantly associated with decreasing pneumatization. However, no significant association (p = 0.070, p = 0.645) was observed between the degree of pneumatization and morphologies of SS. This study concludes that the degree of pneumatization influences only the jugular bulb variants and ICA dehiscence, as well as the distances of SS and JB to ear regions.