Color doppler ultrasound for the assessment of palatal fibromucosa thickness and the trajectory of the greater palatine artery: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: The primary objective of this study was to determine the position and course of the greater palatine artery using color doppler ultrasound. The secondary objective was to determine the thickness of the palatine fibromucosa. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A pilot case series study was performed in a private clinic during February 2020. The scans were performed with a Mindray® M9 ultrasound machine (Mindray North America, NJ, USA) coupled to an L16-4Hs® hockey-type angled probe. For each participant, the arterial path and thickness of the palatal fibromucosa were determined at 5 different points. RESULTS: A total of 6 volunteers (3 males and 3 females) with a mean age of 39.2 (±16) years were included. While the thickness of the fibromucosa decreased along the anterior area, the distance from the cementoenamel junction to the position of the artery was generally maintained up to the canine position, where it was found to be closed to teeth. CONCLUSIONS: Color doppler ultrasound allows accurate localization of the artery as well as measurement of the thickness of the palatine fibromucosa. It would help to select the best area for graft harvesting in order to avoid bleeding complications due to vascular sectioning. Key words:Hard palate, doppler ultrasonography, diagnosis, connective tissue graft.