Radiographic Morphometric Analysis of the Sphenopalatine Foramen and Investigation of Its Relationship with Nasal Septum Deviation

Background: This study aimed to investigate the distances between the sphenopalatine foramen (SPF) and fixed anatomical landmarks in the nasal cavity and to examine the relationship between SPF localisation and nasal septum deviation.

Methods: The radiological anatomy of 167 patients was examined using cone beam computed tomography, and the distances between fixed anatomical landmarks in the nasal cavity and the SPF were measured. The type and degree of nasal septum deviation were determined.

Results: A statistically significant difference was found between gender and the left SPFmaxillary line (ML) distance (P = .021). The degree of nasal septum deviation also showed a significant difference according to gender, being higher in males (P = .032). Significant differences were observed between age groups for the right SPF-nasal floor, left SPF-choanal arch (CA), right SPF-ML, right-left SPF-anterior head of the middle turbinate (AH), and right-left SPFbasal lamellae (BL) distances (P < .05). A significant difference was found between the degree of nasal septum deviation and age groups (P = .007). A significant, near-moderate positive correlation was observed between the degree of deviation and the left SPF-BL distance (R = 0.287, R2 = 0.0823, P < .001).

Conclusion: This study clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the growth and development process in the ML, CA, and BL structures. In addition, the significant correlations observed between the degree of deviation and the SPF-ML, SPF-AH and SPF-BL distances may indicate that the degree of deviation could clinically influence the position of these structures. These results can be used to help clinicians understand the anatomical features of this region, navigate during preoperative or intraoperative procedures, and quickly estimate the location of the SPF.