Visualization of intervertebral disc degeneration in a cadaveric human lumbar spine using microcomputed tomography.

Gross features of disc degeneration (DD) that are associated with back pain include tears in the anulus fibrosus, structural changes of the endplates, and a collapse of the anulus. The aim of this study is the detailed visualization and microstructural characterization of DD using microcomputed tomography (μCT) and a dedicated image post-processing pipeline. In detail, we investigate a cadaveric spine that shows both types of DD between L1 and L2 and between L2 and L3, respectively.

CADAVERIC EVALUATION OF THE LATERAL-ANTERIOR DRAWER TEST FOR EXAMINING POSTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT INTEGRITY.

Background: Common clinical tests often fail to identify posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) ruptures, leading to undetected tears and potential degenerative changes in the knee. The lateral-anterior drawer (LAD) test has been proposed but not yet evaluated regarding its effectiveness for diagnosing PCL-ruptures.

Hypothesis: The LAD will show greater tibial translation values in lateral-anterior direction in a PCL-Cut condition compared to a PCL-Intact condition, thus serving as a useful test for clinical diagnosis of PCL integrity.

Computer-assisted 3-dimensional anthropometry of the scaphoid.

Scaphoid fracture fixation using a cannulated headless compression screw and the Matti-Russe procedure for the treatment of scaphoid nonunions are performed routinely. Surgeons performing these procedures need to be familiar with the anatomy of the scaphoid. A literature review reveals relatively few articles on this subject.

The functional anatomy of the cricothyroid joint.

Postoperative long-term treatment problems of male-to-female transsexuals can be caused by the underestimated mobility of the cricothyroid joint. One hundred cadaveric larynges were analysed to reveal the morphological and functional anatomy of the CTJ focusing on possible horizontal and vertical gliding movements. Furthermore, the distance of the cricothyroid space for rotational movements was measured.

The vascular anatomy of the tensor fasciae latae perforator flap.

Background: The purpose of this study was to differentiate between musculocutaneous and septocutaneous perforators of the tensor fasciae latae perforator flap; to evaluate their number, size, and location; and to provide landmarks to facilitate flap dissection. An additional injection study estimated the skin area of the flap.

Methods: The anatomical study was performed on 23 fixed and injected cadavers.

Reliability of Tuffier's line evaluated on cadaver specimens.

The aim was to evaluate the reliability of Tuffier's line usually used as sole method to identify lumbar spinous process for a correct needle placement. Fifty-eight cadaver specimens were placed in a lateral position and a flexion in the lumbar spine performed to achieve a neutralization of the lumbar lordosis. The iliac crests were palpated and the lumbar spinous process marked on the intercristal line with a pin; all specimens were dissected and the marked spinous process documented.

The cricothyroid joint--functional aspects with regard to different types of its structure.

The cricothyroid joint (CTJ) plays a key role in pitch adjustment of the human voice. It allows an external elongation of the vocal fold performed by the cricothyroid muscle with a consecutive stretching and increasing of tension. Phonosurgical methods such as cricothyroid approximation need sophisticated investigations on anatomical and functional principles because of the low satisfaction rates.

Lipoaugmentation of the vocal folds: a survey on alternative donor sites for graft harvesting.

Lipoaugmentation is a treatment option for patients suffering from glottic insufficiency. Autologous fat is a nearly ideal material for vocal-fold augmentation from the view of biocompatibility and viscoelasticity, but there is still the problem of high graft resorption. As distribution and biological behavior of fatty tissue is very different in the human body, the aim of the study was to elucidate possible donor sites with respect to the quantity of harvested fat, the surgical accessibility to the region, the donor site morbidity and possibility of aesthetic defects and the quality of harvested tissue.

Contact areas of the tibiotalar joint.

The contact areas between the articular surfaces of the talus and tibia are essential for understanding the mobility of the ankle joint. The purpose of our study was to reveal the contact area among the superior articular surface of the trochlea tali (target surface T) and the inferior articular surface of the tibia (query surface Q) under non-weight-bearing conditions in plantar flexion and dorsiflexion. Twenty cadaveric foot specimens were dissected and scanned by a three-dimensional (3D) laser scanner to obtain data point sets.

The anatomy of the proximal ulna.

The posterior border of the ulna is the most important bony landmark for all dorsal surgical approaches and the guideline for open reduction, internal fixation of displaced comminuted fractures of the proximal ulna. We examined 74 cadaveric specimens to evaluate the anatomy of the proximal ulna, especially the course of the posterior border, the point of varus angulation, the width of the shaft, and the relationship of the posterior border to the interosseous and anterior ones. In 63 specimens, the mean point of varus angulation was 85.

A model for clubfoot based on micro-CT data.

The pathological anatomy of idiopathic clubfoot has been investigated for more than 180 years using anatomy, computed tomography (CT), histology and microscopy. Seven idiopathic clubfeet and two normal feet of aborted fetuses were dissected in the present study, with special emphasis on the shape of the cartilage and bones. A three-dimensional (3D) micro-CT system, which generates a series of X-ray attenuation measurements, was used to produce computed reconstructed 3D data sets of each of the separated bones.

Anatomical study for an updated comprehension of clubfoot. Part II: Ligaments, tendons and muscles.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to evaluate the pathological anatomy of the ligaments, tendons and muscles in clubfeet, and to show whether the dysbalance of shortened and elongated structures is an adaptive process or a primary factor inducing the misshaped bones and cartilagines.

Methods: Surgical exposure was performed on seven idiopathic clubfeet specimens, aborted between the 25th and 37th week of gestation and compared to two normal feet (27th and 36th week of gestation).

Results: The medial stabilisation system of the foot was found shortened, but all ligaments could be dissected.

Anatomical study for an update comprehension of clubfoot. Part I: Bones and joints.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to elucidate the gross anatomical changes of bones and joints in idiopathic clubfeet.

Methods: Gross dissection was carried out on seven idiopathic clubfeet of fetuses aborted between the 25th and 37th week of gestation and compared to two normal feet (27th and 36th week of gestation). Particular attention was paid to the articular surfaces, shapes and angles of all bones and their skeletal relationships.

Piriformis muscle: clinical anatomy and consideration of the piriformis syndrome.

Patients with lumbosacral and buttock pain provide tacit support for recognizing the piriformis muscle as a contributing factor to the pain (piriformis syndrome). One hundred and twelve cadaveric specimens were observed to elucidate the anatomical variations of the piriformis muscle referred to the diagnostic and treatment of the piriformis syndrome. The distance between the musculotendinous junction and the insertion was measured and the piriformis categorized into three types: Type A (71, 63.

A morphometrical study of the medullary cavity of the ulna referred to intramedullary nailing.

Intramedullary fixation is preferred for osteosynthesis in the case of long bone fractures; but the problem of the nails' adjustment to the anatomical needs remains. About 80 cadaveric ulnae were examined to elucidate the curvature of the medullary cavity, the point of varus angulation, the thickness of the radial and ulnar cortical bone and the diameter of the medullary cavity at that point. Furthermore, the point of varus angulation of the posterior border was compared to that of the medullary cavity, to evaluate if it allows any conclusion to the curvature of the medullary cavity.

The pyramidal lobe: clinical anatomy and its importance in thyroid surgery.

The pyramidal lobe could be a source of pitfalls in thyroidectomy, due to its frequency but unreliable preoperative diagnosis on scintigraphic images. Special attention has to be paid to the pyramidal lobe to avoid leavings of residual tissue when complete removal of the thyroid is indicated. Sixty cadaveric specimens were examined with special emphasis to the topographical anatomy and expansion of the pyramidal lobe.

Anatomic variations of the musculotendinous junction of the soleus muscle and its clinical implications.

The soleus muscle, like the gastrocnemius, is a powerful plantarflexor muscle in the lower limb. The soleus muscle joins the aponeurosis of the gastrocnemius muscle to form the calcaneal (Achilles) tendon. While the basic anatomy of the soleus muscle has been previously described, no study has addressed the anatomical variations of its distal attachment.

The triceps brachii muscle and its insertion on the olecranon.

Background: The purpose of this anatomical study was to define the insertion of the tendon of the triceps brachii muscle and the course of the lateral cubital retinaculum (LCR) as an enhancement of the triceps tendon.

Material/methods: One hundred cadaver specimens were assessed and the widths of the triceps tendon and the olecranon and the expansion of the LCR were determined.

Results: The width of the tendon ranged between 1.

Unusual vascularization and nerve supply of the fifth finger.

During a dissection course, an unusual variation in vascularization and nerve supply of the fifth finger of the right hand was found in a 73-year-old human male cadaver. The proper digital palmar artery arose from the superficial branch of the ulnar artery distel to the Guyon's canal. The proper digital palmar artery coursed first palmar to the ulnar nerve then between the abductor minimi and flexor digiti minimi muscles to reach the ulnar side of the fifth finger.

Unusual thyroid gland vascularization.

During a dissection course, an unusual vascularization of the thyroid gland was found in a 69-year-old human male cadaver. On the right side, two arteries from the thyrocervical trunk supplied the lower half of the right lobe of the thyroid gland: the inferior thyroid artery and an additional vessel with a main trunk, found to be split into an upper and lower branch at the level of the longus colli muscle. The upper branch supplied the inferior constrictor pharyngeal muscle and the esophagus, whereas the lower branch coursed, at first, onto the trachea and finally leaving it to anastomose with the inferior thyroid artery.

Herniation of the mylohyoid muscle.

During ultrasound examinations in patients with dysphagia, deficiencies in the mylohyoid muscle with herniation of the sublingual gland were found, which may be mistaken as soft tissue tumors. Between the years 2001 and 2003, 205 half-heads used in dissection courses were examined to determine the location and contents of these gaps. In 25 of these cadaveric specimens, the hiatus (of variable size) appeared as small fissures between the divided fibers of the mylohyoid.