Three-Dimensional Volume Rendering Anatomy of the Carotid Canal

The internal carotid artery enters the skull via the carotid canal in the petrous portion of the temporal bone. To evaluate the presence or absence of intracranial aneurysms, the patients included in this study were evaluated with computerized tomographic angiography. Imaging data were stored in digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) format and subsequently converted by imaging software into three-dimensional volume rendered neurovascular images. Three-dimensional volume rendered neurovascular images of the 54 patients (27 male and 27 female) were evaluated in the analysis of the carotid canal. In the males, the dimension of the carotid canal entrance from anterior to posterior direction was estimated as 0.44±0.085 (Mean±SEM) centimeters on the right side and 0.48±0.1 centimeters on the left side. In females, the values were estimated as 0.45±0.11 centimeters on the right side and 0.42±0.1 centimeters on the left side. In the males, the medial-lateral dimensions were estimated as 0.58±0.11 centimeters on the right side and 0.61±0.13 centimeters on the left side. In the female, the medial-lateral dimensions were estimated as 0.53±0.093 centimeters on the right side and 0.51±0.12 centimeters on the left side. The present study describes the entrance and exit foramina of the carotid canal and the dimensions of certain anatomical structures of interest