Detection of posterior superior alveolar artery using multi-detector row CT: a retrospective study focused on age-related changes

Purpose: The posterior superior alveolar artery (PSAA) is a branch of the maxillary artery that supplies the lateral sinus wall and overlying membrane. This artery is one among several arteries in which arterial damage during surgery can cause massive and fatal bleeding. The purpose of this study was to detect the PSAA using multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) by age. Materials and methods: The present study was approved by our university ethics committee (EC19-010). The study included 230 patients (110 males, 120 females; ages 5–91 years, average age 42.5 years) who underwent MDCT of the jaw. The subjects were divided into two groups, one group in which the PSAA was observable and another in which the PSAA was not observable, to perform the Mann–Whitney U test. To perform the Tukey–Kramer multiple comparison test, the subjects were divided into the following ten groups depending on their age: 5–9 years, 10–19 years, 20–29 years, 30–39 years, 40–49 years, 50–59 years, 60–69 years, 70–79 years, 80–89 years, and 90–91 years. Results: The PSAA was identified in 74.5% (5–91 years) of the maxillary sinuses. The average age of subjects in whom the PSAA was observable was 33.4 years, and the average age of subjects in whom the PSAA was not observable was 11.3 years, indicating a significant difference between these two groups (p < 0.01). A comparison by age group showed a significant difference (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The detection ratio for the PSAA using MDCT increased with increasing age of the subject, reaching a high detection ratio of 94% in adults. This study has shown that MDCT is a very useful tool to observe the PSAA.