Role of Anterior Ethmoidal Artery as a Useful Landmark in FESS Based on CT Analysis-A Hospital-based Study

Role of Anterior Ethmoidal Artery as a useful landmark in FESS based on CT analysis- a hospital-based study. The present retrospective study was conducted in our tertiary care Centre on 99 NCCT nose and PNS (coronal, axial and Sagittal cuts) were studied for distance of anterior ethmoidal artery from skull base and frontal sinus. Number and type of intervening air cells were also studied. The data was spread on MS EXCEL spread sheet and statistical analysis was done. Total of 99 NCCT nose and PNS were analyzed, out of which 32 were females, 64 were males. The anterior ethmoidal artery foramen was visualized in all patients bilaterally. Mean distance between the skull base and anterior ethmoidal artery foramen was 1.66 ± 0.774 mm, and mean distance between anterior ethmoidal artery and frontal sinus was 7.51 ± 3.56 mm. Most common intervening cells were supra bullar cells and, only 10 patients were in whom no intervening cell was seen. The distance between anterior ethmoidal artery and the frontal sinus varies statistically with the change in number of intervening air cells. Although awareness about anterior ethmoidal artery anatomy and its different variations on NCCT will help rhinology surgeons in their orientations during endoscopic surgical procedures, but AEA cannot be considered as the consistent landmark for frontal sinus in FESS.