Anatomical relationship of pterygoid process pneumatization and vidian canal.

Introduction: The vidian canal acts as landmark for the identification of the petrous carotid artery, especially during extended endoscopic endonasal approaches in cranial base surgeries. In order to localize the canal and to understand the relationship of pneumatization of pterygoid process to the type of vidian canal, this study was designed.

Objectives: The objective was to describe the anatomical relationship of pneumatization of the pterygoid process with types of vidian canal.