ABSTRACT
A thin plate of bone usually separates the olecranon and coronoid fossae of the lower end of humerus. In certain bones, this plate becomes perforated, giving rise to a foramen called supratrochlear foramen. This foramen is thought to occur early in childhood from excessive cancellous bone resorption in the distal end of humerus. It is found in variable numbers in different races. The present study focused on the supratrochlear foramen of the humerus of the Egyptians and its relation to the medullary canal. The presence of supratrochlear foramen was studied in 71 dry adult humeri of unknown sex and of both sides. The bones were collected from the Department of Anatomy, Tanta Faculty of Medicine. The transverse and vertical diameters of the foramen were measured. In bones were the foramen was absent, the translucency or opacity of the septum was observed. Moreover, the diameter of the medullary canal was measured and correlated with the presence of the foramen. The supratrochlear foramen was found in 28% of the total humeri and more frequent on the left side. The presence of foramen is suppressed by the stronger or dominant limb, hence it is exhibited in the weaker limb which is usually the left limb. The oval and round shapes of the foramina were equal in frequency. The transverse and vertical diameters of the oval foramen were 7.6 mm and 5.5 mm, respectively. Whereas, the transverse and vertical diameters of the round foramen were 2.9 mm and 3.1 mm respectively. A translucent septum was seen 41% of the bones, and the opaque septum was seen in 31%. The diameter of medullary canal in bones without foramen, is relatively wide and varies from 12mm to 17 mm. In bones with the foramen, the diameter of the medullary canal varies between 6-8 mm. The supratrochlear foramen has much clinical importance. The presence of such foramen should be excluded before surgical intervention on the humerus. The high incidence of this foramen in Egyptians requires that the foramen should be kept in mind during any surgical or radiological intervention to aid in proper diagnosis and treatment
Subject(s)
Humans , Bone and Bones , Bone Resorption , IncidenceABSTRACT
The structure of organs in the people varies considerably. The course and relations of the arterial component of hepatic pedicle are highly variable. Frequency of variations often differs among various human groups and variations seen in one population cannot be assumed to apply to members of another population. Hence, this study was intended to investigate the types of variations commonly encountered among Egyptians and analyze whether there might be sex difference in the variations. The study was carried out in 55 autopsy specimens [31 male and 24 females] collected from Egyptians. The human extrahepatic biliary parts for this stud] were dissected and any arterial variations in the hepatic pedicle were recorded. Arterial variations were encountered in 80% of specimens. The presence of aberrant hepatic and cystic arteries and the abnormal origin and course of these arteries were found to be common arterial variations. Higher percentage of arterial variations was found in females than in males. Whether or not these differences have some contributions to higher rate of biliary tract diseases in females than in males has to be further investigated