DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TONSILLAR FOSSA AND INTERNAL CAROTID-ARTERY IN CHILDREN

Objective: Obtain normative data on the distance from the tonsillar fo ssa to the internal carotid artery in children, and relate this distan ce to age and weight parameters. Design: A prospective study of 100 ch ildren undergoing magnetic resonance imaging studies for pathology unr elated to the upper aerodigestive tract. The torus tubarius correspond s to the lateral extent of the tonsillar fossa and was used as the ref erence site for measurements. One hundred children (aged 7 days to 18 years; median, 6 years) were consecutively entered into the study. Exc lusion criteria included any preexisting abnormalities of the upper ae rodigestive tract. The study defined the distance from the tonsillar f ossa to the internal carotid artery. Relationships of this distance we re defined for both age and weight parameters. Results: With increasin g age and weight, the distance between the tonsillar fossa and the int ernal carotid artery increases in a regular fashion to a value approac hing 25 mm. Both relationships are exponential with asymptotes being a chieved by 56 kg (correlation coefficient, 0.8616; R(2) value, 0.7423) or 12 years of age (correlation coefficient, 0.8452; R(2) value, 0.71 43). Conclusion: Age and weight parameters can be used to predict the distance from the tonsillar fossa to the internal carotid artery in ch ildren.