Topographic location of the nasolagrimal conduit emergence measured on ct scans as an anatomical repair for maxillofacial surgery procedures

Abstract

Background: In maxillofacial surgery there are procedures that involve the nasolacrimal duct, so this measure is a reference point to avoid its injury. Previous articles take as reference the Anglo-Saxon phenotype and not the Latin American population, which is a great limitation when extrapolating it to maxillofacial surgical procedures. Objective: To measure the distance of the nasolacrimal duct to adjacent anatomical structures in a sample of CT scans from the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio in Bogotá- Colombia in 2021. Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed based on CT scans from HUSI. A non-probabilistic sampling was used in which 150 CT scans were identified. Information on sex, age and distance of the nasolacrimal duct in millimeters was collected in an Excel spreadsheet database, taking as anatomical landmarks the piriform notch, the infraorbital foramen and the floor of the nasal fossa in axial, sagittal and coronal sections. Results: The analysis of the measurements showed that none of the measurement distributions had a behavior different from the normal distribution. In relation to the comparison of the measurements by sex, age was similar in men and women, while significant differences were evidenced in the comparisons by age. Conclusion: The results coincide with the data published in previous studies. Regarding the distribution by sex, the length of the nasolacrimal duct is greater in men than in women, and the distribution by age indicates that as age increases the distance of the duct to these structures decreases.