The anatomical relationship between the eustachian tube and petrous internal carotid artery

Abstract

The junctional part of the ET may be a safe landmark to identify and protect the ICA during endoscopic endonasal surgery of the cranial base. Knowledge of the anatomical relationships of the ET and petrous part of the ICA, as well as their relationship with other surgical and radiological landmarks, would be useful to surgeons.

Eustachian tube and internal carotid artery in skull base surgery: An anatomical study

“…Despite few publications about the relationship of the ET and the ICA, the literature is lacking a profound anatomical description of this complex area. Comprehensive anatomical knowledge is paramount to achieve efficiency and safety during endoscopic endonasal approaches in this region.…”

Utility of Adjunctive Procedures With Balloon Dilation of the Eustachian Tube

“…The bony ET is closely related to the ICA, sharing a thin bony plate . Exclusion of any dehiscence in this bony plate is mandatory before probing the ET bony portion.…”

Surgical landmarks of the nasopharyngeal internal carotid using the maxillary swing approach: A cadaveric study

“…Other major landmarks have been reported in the literature and are stated in Table ; three stand out. The eustachian tube and especially its isthmus is widely regarded in the literature as the best landmark to find the ICA . Another major structure is the SPF, as the ICA can be found immediately behind it .…”

“…Although the intrapetrous, paraclival, and parasellar portions of the ICA have clear surgical landmarks due to their fixed position in the bony canals, the paranasopharyngeal portion, which is surrounded by soft tissue, does not have reliable surgical landmarks and is always hazardous to find. Several authors have studied the relationship between the ICA and the nasopharynx or between the external aperture of the carotid canal and the eustachian tube using an endoscopic or a lateral approach . Some imagery studies (computed tomography [CT] scan or magnetic resonance imaging based) have measured the distance in between the ICA and anatomical landmarks .…”