Dissection

Objective: To analyze the 3-dimensional relationships of the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) within the temporal stem using anatomic dissection and to study the surgical application. Methods: Ten postmortem human hemispheres (5 right, 5 left) were dissected using the Klingler fiber dissection technique. The 3-dimensional relationships of the IFOF with different landmarks of the temporal stem, insula, and temporal lobe were analyzed and measured. Results: An average distance of 10.9 mm (range, 8–15 mm) was observed between the limen insulae and the anterior edge of the IFOF under the inferior limiting sulcus of the insula. This anterior one-third of the temporal stem is crossed by the uncinate fasciculus. The IFOF crosses the posterior two-thirds of the temporal stem, in the space between the posterior limit of the uncinate fasciculus and the lateral geniculate body. The average superoinferior distance between the IFOF and the inferior limiting sulcus was 3.8 mm. The audi...

Satisfactory analgesia cannot be achieved in every obturator nerve block. To attempt to improve the success rate of obturator nerve block, this study describes the detailed anatomy of the obturator region and canal. Eleven (5 female and 6 male) cadavers, totally 22 sides were dissected. Anatomical positions of the structures entering and leaving the canal were defined. The position of the obturator nerve and its branches and their relation with the obturator artery, vein, and with the internal iliac and femoral veins were investigated. A mould of the canal and a model were created. Detailed measurements were performed on the cadavers and models. The obturator canal was in the shape of a funnel compressed from superior to inferior, with anterior and posterior openings. At the entrance of the canal, the nerve lay superiorly; the artery was in the middle, and the vein lay inferiorly. The obturator nerve ran close to the lateral wall of the obturator canal. The distance of lateral wall of obturator canal to the median plane was 41.4 ± 1.1 mm. After leaving the canal, the nerve lay laterally while the anterior branch of the artery was medial. A venous plexus lay between the two structures. The presence of the branches of the obturator artery and vein alongside the obturator nerve may increase the risk of injury to these structures during anaesthetic procedures. The anterior division of the obturator nerve has a close relationship with these vessels. To provide complete analgesia, the obturator nerve should be blocked in the obturator canal or at its external orifice.

Palmaris longus muscle, although of little functional use to the human upper limb, assumes great importance when used as a donor tendon for transfer or transplant. The variability in the prevalence of palmaris longus agenesis among various ethnic groups has been established, and the surgeon’s awareness of the prevalence in a population or ethnic group is desirable. The prevalence of palmaris longus agenesis has, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, not been reported in Indian patients. Five hundred Indian patients were examined for the presence or absence of palmaris longus tendon, using the conventional test for presence of palmaris longus. The prevalence and pattern of palmaris longus agenesis was analyzed statistically and any difference in prevalence or pattern of palmaris longus agenesis with regard to body side or sex was looked for. All statistical analysis was done using SPSS (version 12). ÷ 2 test was used to analyze the association of agenesis with limb laterality and sex. The prevalence of palmaris longus agenesis was found to be 17.2% (8% bilateral and 9.2% unilateral). The prevalence of agenesis was significantly more common on the left side. Male subjects had a greater likelihood of unilateral agenesis, while female subjects were more likely to have bilateral agenesis. That prevalence of palmaris longus agenesis is race dependent is reaffirmed in the present study. Although the prevalence of palmaris longus agenesis in Indian patients was found to be much higher than the reported average prevalence in an Asian population, this tendon can still be counted on by surgeons treating Indian patients for use as a donor tendon, which will be present in a vast majority of Indian patients.

The ideal surgical treatment for complicated ventral hernias remains elusive. Traditional component separation provides local advancement of native tissue for tension-free closure without prosthetic materials. This technique requires an extensive subcutaneous dissection, with the division of perforating vessels predisposing to skin flap necrosis and complicated wound infections. The laparoscopic separation of components provides a minimally invasive alternative to open techniques, while eliminating the potential space and subsequent complications of large skin flaps. We report our initial experience with a minimally invasive component separation with early postoperative outcomes. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients who underwent a minimally invasive component separation for abdominal wall reconstruction during the resection of an infected prosthetic. Pertinent details included baseline demographics, reason for contamination, operative technique and detail...

Ever since man started to study systematically medicine for the first time he recognized the value of the knowledge of Anatomy in order to safely cut and treat the human body. However, over the centuries it has been proved that Anatomy is more than just a scientific field of medicine. The fact that Anatomy requires the use of human cadavers as an object to study brought to the surface many moral issues, which adumbrated its turbulent past. Additionally, Anatomy and its inextricable element, illustration, has many times been a source of inspiration for both the anatomists and the artists. This paper aims on the one hand to provide a condensed overview of the history of Anatomy and on the other hand to investigate the way Anatomy penetrates Art and, conversely, Art penetrates Anatomy.

We present the second part of our review concerning the history of autopsy. During the development of medicine the role of autopsy was obviously changing. Concurrently with the progress in the anatomical knowledge, the anatomists observed and noted both single anomalies and repetitive changes which correlated with symptoms in living patients. This is how anatomopathology came into being. We present the most famous people engaged in autopsy comprehension. We discuss main trends and ideas influencing the phenomenon of autopsy in the analyzed period: from sporadic public dissections, through theatra anatomica, introduction of autopsy to the hospital medicine and separation of anatomopathology as a medical speciality. The golden age of autopsy was the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, with a consecutive decline in frequency. Nevertheless, despite the progress in diagnostics in vivo, it seems that autopsy will keep its important place in medicine according to the old m...

Classical dissection may give unsatisfactory results because of the presence of artifacts due to both the embalming process and displacement of the anatomical structures. This spatial disturbance could explain the divergent descriptions found in the literature about the presence, or the absence, of an insertion of the extensor digitorum muscle (ED) at the base of the first phalanx (P1). Preliminary experiments by Van Sint Jan et al. (1996) found the same contradiction: dissections did not show a real tendon attachment, whereas a functional experiment seemed to show that “something” should exist between ED and P1 to explain the results. This paper presents the results of anin vitro MRI study of this anatomical area. A 7-T NMR microscope was used to collect accurate, noninvasive data. Subsequently, surface rendering was performed to visualize the structures in a threedimensional manner. The results of this MRI study, together with functional data obtained in an earlier study, showed that no real insertion of ED on P1 exists. However, some collagenic fibers were occasionally observed running from the ventral aspect of ED to both P1 and the metacarpophalangeal joint capsule. Those few collagenic fibers would play a secondary role in the extension of P1.

X-gal staining is a rapid and convenient histochemical technique used to detect reporter gene expression. A prerequisite is the creation or acquisition of transgenic reporter mouse lines, in which the bacterial LacZ gene has been knocked into the gene of interest or placed under the control of regulatory elements corresponding to the gene of interest. Expression is marked by a dark blue stain and can be detected at the single cell level, providing a robust visual readout of gene expression in the developing kidney. Here, we describe the methodology, applications, and limitations of this technique.

Vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) has shown promise as a treatment for breast cancer-related lymphedema, a common and debilitating condition among breast cancer survivors. In VLNT, the most popular lymph node flap donor site is the inguinal region; however, concerns about the possibility of iatrogenic lymphedema hamper the widespread adoption of VLNT. A better understanding of the anatomy of the lymphatic system in the inguinal region is essential to preserving lymph drainage in the leg and avoiding iatrogenic lymphedema. Five human cadaver hind-quarter specimens were used for this study. First, the specimens were scanned with indocyanine green fluorescence lymphography to map the lymphatic vessels. A dual injection technique using different radiocontrast media was then applied to delineate arteries and lymphatic vessels on radiographs. Finally, radiological analysis and meticulous dissection were used to investigate relationships between the arteries and lymphatic vessels. By...

Facial nerve paralysis is a daunting potential complication of parotid surgery and is widely reported. Knowledge of the key landmarks of the facial nerve trunk is essential for safe and effective surgical intervention in the region of the parotid gland. In current practice, wide ranges of landmarks are used to identify the facial nerve trunk, however, there is much debate in the literature about the safety and reliability of each of these landmarks. The aim of this study, therefore, was to evaluate the relation of the surrounding anatomical structures and surgical landmarks to the facial nerve trunk. The anatomical relationship of the facial nerve trunk to the surrounding structures was determined after micro-dissection on 40 adult cadavers. The shortest distances between the facial nerve and the “tragal pointer”, attachment of the posterior belly of digastric muscle, tympanomastoid suture, external auditory canal, transverse process of the axis, angle of the mandible and the styloid process were measured. In addition, these distances were compared in the right and left sides, males and females and edentulous and non-edentulous mandibles. The distance of the facial nerve trunk from each of the surrounding landmarks ranged from (mm): tragal pointer, 24.3 to 49.2 (mean 34); posterior belly of digastric, 9.7 to 24.3 (mean 14.6); external auditory canal, 7.3 to 21.9 (mean 13.4); tympanomastoid suture, 4.9 to 18.6 (mean 10.0); styloid process, 4.3 to 18.6 (mean 9.8); transverse process of the axis, 9.7 to 36.8 (mean 16.9); angle of the mandible, 25.3 to 48.69 (mean 38.1). The length of the facial nerve trunk from its point of exit from the stylomastoid foramen to its bifurcation into upper and lower divisions ranged from (mm) 8.6 to 22.8 (mean 14.0). The results demonstrated that the posterior belly of digastric, tragal pointer and transverse process of the axis are consistent landmarks to the facial nerve trunk. However, it should be noted that the tragal pointer is cartilaginous, mobile, asymmetrical and has a blunt, irregular tip. This study advocates the use of the transverse process of the axis as it is easily palpated, does not require a complex dissection and ensures minimum risk of injury to the facial nerve trunk.

According to Victor Burgin, a portrait is not a simple depiction of a particular person, but rather a heterogeneous representation, which is understood as a complex semiotic construct, built on the basis of the plurality of codes. The proposed paper discusses American and European photographs representing the genre of the medical professional, which, in 19th and early 20th centuries were used by medical professionals to both convey the seriousness of medical studies and to assume professional identity. 
While the medical world long struggled to combat the negative depiction of the profession, which was already deeply ingrained in popular perception during the 18th and 19th centuries through professional publications that aimed to identify and isolate imposters in the medical field, only the creation of the medical occupational portrait genre provided medics with a more accessible and efficient visual tool in their efforts to uphold their reputation.
In the first section, the article examines photographs created between the1840s and 1900s, belonging to the formal professional portraiture genre. These photographs, usually taken at the photographic studio, depict doctors posing with books and charts, but also with skulls and skeletal parts, which puts them in striking contrast with modern medical professional portraits. The author demonstrates how, through the conventional displaying of cranium and other skeletal parts, early photographic medical portraiture both linked the images of medics to the painterly tradition of the professional portraiture and established the notion of modern medicine as a bold attempt to defeat death.
The second part of the article concentrates on photographs of dissections, including formal lecture photographs and candid images of small groups of students taken either by professional photographers or by the students themselves. Most of these pictures are dated between the 1880s and 1920s. The paper analyzes such aspects of dissection photographs as their composition, which establishes the students’ relationship with the cadaver, a variety of written information included in pictures, and the circulation these images. In addition, the paper discusses examples of photographic medical “gallows humor” in the context of changing attitudes towards human remains.

According to Victor Burgin, a portrait is not a simple depiction of a particular person, but rather a heterogeneous representation, which is understood as a complex semiotic construct, built on the basis of the plurality of codes. The proposed paper discusses American and European photographs representing the genre of the medical professional, which, in 19th and early 20th centuries were used by medical professionals to both convey the seriousness of medical studies and to assume professional identity. While the medical world long struggled to combat the negative depiction of the profession, which was already deeply ingrained in popular perception during the 18th and 19th centuries through professional publications that aimed to identify and isolate imposters in the medical field, only the creation of the medical occupational portrait genre provided medics with a more accessible and efficient visual tool in their efforts to uphold their reputation. In the first section, the article examines photographs created between the1840s and 1900s, belonging to the formal professional portraiture genre. These photographs, usually taken at the photographic studio, depict doctors posing with books and charts, but also with skulls and skeletal parts, which puts them in striking contrast with modern medical professional portraits. The author demonstrates how, through the conventional displaying of cranium and other skeletal parts, early photographic medical portraiture both linked the images of medics to the painterly tradition of the professional portraiture and established the notion of modern medicine as a bold attempt to defeat death. The second part of the article concentrates on photographs of dissections, including formal lecture photographs and candid images of small groups of students taken either by professional photographers or by the students themselves. Most of these pictures are dated between the 1880s and 1920s. The paper analyzes such aspects of dissection photographs as their composition, which establishes the students’ relationship with the cadaver, a variety of written information included in pictures, and the circulation these images. In addition, the paper discusses examples of photographic medical “gallows humor” in the context of changing attitudes towards human remains.

The history of Calcutta Medical College (CMC) is intertwined with the rise of rational scientific medicine in
India. This new kind of medicine was premised on dissection-based anatomical knowledge and was secular
in nature. The first dissection in CMC by a high-caste Hindu ushered in ramifications of this medicine into
every aspect of Indian society. The singular act of dissection entailed indelible changes in the perception of
body, disease and self of the Indian population. Medicine brought forth a new paradigm of knowing the
body. Arguably, being the first Indian dissector, Madhusudan Gupta is historically tied up with this transformation
of medicine.