Petromastoid canal
Last revised by Sharma Munusamy on 26 Nov 2023
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Goel A, Munusamy S, Knipe H, et al. Petromastoid canal. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 01 Dec 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-25368
rID:
25368
Article created:
22 Oct 2013, Ayush Goel ◉
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Ayush Goel had no recorded disclosures.
View Ayush Goel's current disclosuresLast revised:
26 Nov 2023, Sharma Munusamy
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Sharma Munusamy had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Sharma Munusamy's current disclosuresRevisions:
13 times, by 8 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Synonyms:
- Subarcuate canal
The petromastoid (or subarcuate) canal is a channel in the petrous temporal bone that joins the mastoid antrum to the posterior cranial fossa. It contains the subarcuate artery and vein 1.
Classification
The canal has been categorized by its size 1:
type I - invisible
type II - less than 0.5 mm width
type III - 0.5-1 mm width
type IV - greater than 1 mm width
Radiographic features
CT
On axial petrous temporal bone fine slices, the petromastoid canal is seen as a thin canal between the ascending and descending limb of the superior semicircular canal and has a slight anterior convex course 2. It can easily be mistaken for a fracture line.
References
- 1. Migirov L, Kronenberg J. Radiology of the petromastoid canal. Otol. Neurotol. 2007;27 (3): 410-3. Pubmed citation
- 2. Kwong Y, Yu D, Shah J. Fracture mimics on temporal bone CT: a guide for the radiologist. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2012 Aug;199(2):428-34. doi: 10.2214/AJR.11.8012. PMID: 22826408.
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