Endosteal blood supply of the mandible: anatomical study of nutrient vessels in the condylar neck accessory foramina.

PURPOSE: In the mandible, the condylar neck vascularization is commonly described as mainly periosteal; while the endosteal contribution is still debated, with very limited anatomical studies. Previous works have shown the contribution of nutrient vessels through accessory foramina and their contribution in the blood supply of other parts of the mandible. Our aim was to study the condylar neck's blood supply from nutrient foramina. METHODS: Six latex-injected heads were dissected and two hundred mandibular condyles were observed on dry mandibles searching for accessory bone foramina. RESULTS: Latex-injected dissections showed a direct condylar medular arterial supply through foramina. On dry mandibles, these foramina were most frequently observed in the pterygoid fovea in 91% of cases. However, two other accessory foramina areas were identified on the lateral and medial sides of the mandibular condylar process, confirming the vascular contribution of transverse facial and maxillary arteries. CONCLUSIONS: The maxillary artery indeed provided both endosteal and periosteal blood supply to the condylar neck, with three different branches: an intramedullary ascending artery (arising from the inferior alveolar artery), a direct nutrient branch and some pterygoid osteomuscular branches