Abstract
Background: The buccal space is an integral deep facial space which is involved in a variety of intra-and extra-oral pathologies and provides a good location for the harvest of the facial artery. The age-related anatomy of this space was investigated and compared to previous reports. Methods: We conducted anatomic dissections in 102 fresh frozen human cephalic specimens (45 males, 57 females;age range 50-100 years) and performed additional computed tomographic, magnetic resonance and 3-D surface volumetric imaging studies to visualize the boundaries and the contents of the buccal space after injection of contrast enhancing material. Results: The mean vertical extent of contrast agent injected into the buccal space was 25.2 +/- 4.3 mm and did not significantly differ between individuals of different age (p = 0.77) or gender (p = 0.13). The maximal injected volume was 10.02 cc [ range: 3.09-10.02] without significant influence of age (p = 0.13) or gender (p = 0.81). The change in surface volume was 3.64 +/- 1.04 cc resulting in a mean surface-volume-coefficient of 0.87 +/- 0.12 without being statistically significant influenced by age (p = 0.53) or gender (p = 0.78). Conclusions: The facial artery was constantly identified within the buccal space whereas the facial vein was found to course within its posterior boundary. The buccal space did not undergo age-related changes in volume or size which highlights this space is a reliable and predictable landmark for various plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic procedures.
Item Type: | Journal article |
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Faculties: | Medicine |
Subjects: | 600 Technology > 610 Medicine and health |
ISSN: | 1748-6815 |
Language: | English |
Item ID: | 63487 |
Date Deposited: | 19. Jul 2019, 12:13 |
Last Modified: | 04. Nov 2020, 13:42 |