Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the anatomical distance of the maxillary artery, the most superior portion of the condyle and subcondyle in standardized coronal sections, acquired from 16 hemifaces in 8 cadavers.
Methods: Measurements were taken to evaluate the distance between the uppermost portion of the mandibular condyle and the height of the maxillary artery (AB) and between the lateral (CD) and medial (EF) sides of the condylar neck to the artery.
Results: The mean for AB was 21.1 mm hemiface right and 22.9 mm left on the anterior face, 22.5 mm and 20.7 mm, respectively, on the rear face. The CD measurement presented 6.7 mm right side in the anterior face and 6.3 mm left, and the posterior face was 6.3 mm right side and 5.4 mm left; EF presented a mean of 2.2 mm right and 1.5 mm left on the anterior face and 1.6 mm for both sides on the posterior face.
Conclusions: There was no statistically significant difference between hemifaces. The proximity of the maxillary artery to the medial face of the neck of the mandibular condyle is millimetric and presents risks of severe hemorrhage for interventions in the infratemporal fossa.
Keywords: Carotid arteries; Hemorrhage; Mandibular condyle; Maxillary artery; Temporomandibular joint.