Distribution of the Maxillary Artery as It Relates Sinus Floor Augmentation

Purpose: Knowledge of the blood supply to the sinus is of importance in sinus augmentation, both as it pertains to vascularization of the sinus graft and as its location relates to the position of the required lateral osteotomy. The purpose of this sftpfewas to investigate the distribution of the endosseoos branches of the maxillary artery in the area of the proposed lateral window. Materials and Methods: Fifty computerized tomogmphic (CT) scans from 625 available patients undergoing sinus augmenta-tion surgery at the New York University Department of implant Dentistry were chosen at random for evaluation. In those cases where the maxillary artery could be identified, measurements were taken to determine the distance between the alveolar crest and the lower border of the vessel. Results: The vessel was radiographicaity identified in 51.4 % of right sinuses and 54.3 % of left sinuses in the 50 CT scans. The average height of the artety from the alveolar crest was 16 mm ( ± 3.5 mm}. Discussion: and Conc/uslons: Because of its location, the intraosseous artery has the potential to cause bleed-ing complications in approximately 20 % of normally positioned lateral window osteotomies. Although a previous anatomic study on cadavers identified the vessel in 100 % of the specimens, it could only be visualized in 53 % of the CT scans in the present series, tar J ORAL MAXILIDFAC IMPUWTS 2005:20:784-78