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Inferior alveolar nerve tracing (IAN)

The inferior alveolar nerve (also called IAN, inferior alveolar or mandibular nerve) runs through the mandibular canal and is the critical structure to respect in any surgery or implantology in the posterior mandibular sector. CBCTHub lets you trace it point by point on the cross-sectional slices.

NotaIAN tracing is visual and educational: it helps you as a radiologist communicate the path to the referrer, and lets the implant tool measure the distance automatically.

How to trace it

  1. 1
    Go to the Panoramic view with cross-sectional slices active.
  2. 2
    Activate the Trace IAN tool from the toolbar (nerve icon).
  3. 3
    On the cross-sectional slices, go slice by slice (mouse wheel) and click on the center of the mandibular canal on each one. CBCTHub interpolates a 3D curve that connects all the points.
  4. 4
    Repeat on the opposite side if bilateral. Each side is traced separately.

Visualization

Once traced, the nerve appears as a colored line overlaid on all views: reconstructed panoramic, cross-sectional slices, axial, sagittal and 3D. You can change its color to differentiate it (typically yellow or orange).

TipMark the mental foramen as starting point and the mandibular foramen as ending point. These two endpoints are clear anatomical references and reduce tracing errors.

Edit the trace

  • Move a point: click on the point, drag it to the new position.
  • Delete a point: select it and Del.
  • Add an intermediate point: click on the line between two existing points.
  • Reset everything: “Clear trace” button on the panel.

Safety margin with implants

When a nerve is traced and you place a virtual implant nearby, CBCTHub measures and shows the minimum distance to the nerve in mm. If it falls below the recommended margin (typically 2 mm), a red indicator appears.