Technique of colored latex vascular injection in neurosurgical soft cadaveric head.

Objective : To present our technique of injected vascular specimen, so as to facilitate the process of cadaveric head preparation.Material and Method : Colored latex is used to inject the extracranial part of cerebral arteries and veins. The process is composed of three steps and can be summarized as follows: 1) exposure and cannulation of the extracranial vessels 2) irrigation of vessels to remove blood clol and 3) preparation and injection of the colored latex. Results : The quality of the injection was evaluated by inspection of both superficial and deep vascular trees( both venous and arterial dural vessels). There was sometimes the leakage of latex from the vessels. Conclusion : The simple and inexpensive process of cadaveric head preparation would promote the neuroanatomical knowledges of neurosurgical residents and practicing neurosurgeons.

The ostia venae hepaticae and the retrohepatic segments of the IVC in Thais.

144 normal adult livers were studied anatomically. The length of the retrohepatic segment of the inferior vena cava was 6.6 centimeters and was totally enclosed by liver substance in 12.5% of cases. Altogether 1,581 ostia venae hepaticae were found, on average 11 per liver and these were classified as large, medium, small or minimum. The localisation of these openings was studied according to the division of interior wall of the retrohepatic segment of IVC into 16 areas.

The variant suprarenal arterial supply in Thais.

The principal aims of this study were to investigate the origins and the anatomical types of arterial supply to the suprarenal gland. The glands received blood from 3 arteries: the superior suprarenal, the middle suprarenal, and the inferior suprarenal arteries. Such origins were observed in that the superior suprarenal arteries arose almost exclusively from the inferior phrenic artery (97%) except 1 gland (1%) whose arterial supply was directly from a branch of the celiac artery and 2 glands (2%) from the renal artery. The middle suprarenal arteries originated from either the aorta (58 glands, 57%) or a branch of the renal artery (44 glands, 43%) Almost the inferior suprarenal arteries came from the proximal part of the renal artery (86 out of the 102 glands or 84%), the remaining of the 16 glands or 16% were directly supplied from the aorta. The arterial supply to the suprarenal gland may be classified into three types. Type I, having tripartite origins (41% received blood from the inferior phrenic artery (or the branch of celiac artery), the aorta, and the renal artery. Type II, having bipartite origins (57%), was a major type receiving blood form the inferior phrenic artery and directly from the aorta (or the renal artery). Type III, rare type (2%), received blood from only one origin, the renal artery.

Three small muscles of the proximal radio-ulnar joint in Thais.

A post-mortem study on the frequency of occurrence of the muscles of the annular ligament of the radius was carried out on 68 male and 74 female Thais, 144 elbows. The age of those studied ranged from 16 to 98 years. Three small muscles of the proximal radio-ulnar joint, the medial tensor muscle of the annular ligament of the radius, the lateral tensor muscle of the annular ligament of the radius and accessory supinator muscle were found in 89 cases (61.8%), 66 cases (45.8%) and three cases (2%), respectively. Lateral tensor muscle of the annular ligament of the radius was commonly found on the right side of males more than on the left side, and on the right side of females (p < 0.05).

The relation of the maxillary artery and the origin of the middle meningeal artery in Thais.

A study of the relationship of the maxillary artery to the lateral pterygoid muscle was performed upon 306 sides of 153 Thai cadavers; 84 males and 69 females. Most arteries were found lateral to the lateral pterygoid muscle in 275 sides (90%), and the remainder medial to this muscle. Additionally, the origin of the middle meningeal artery was observed to originate proximally 64%, opposite 18%, and distally 8% to the origin of the inferior alveolar artery when the maxillary artery passed laterally to the lateral pterygoid muscle. On the other hand, it was found that this artery originates proximally 4%, opposite 1%, and distally 5% to the origin of the inferior alveolar artery when the maxillary artery passed medially to the lateral pterygoid muscle. The accessory meningeal artery was presented in 71%. The result of this study will be useful in surgery.

Anatomical variations of the first extensor compartment affecting surgery in de Quervain’s disease.

151 wrists of Thai cadavers were dissected to determine the anatomical variations of tendons of the abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis muscles as they lie in the first extensor compartment of the wrists. Such variation involves division of the abductor pollicis longus tendon and the extensor pollicis brevis tendon. Additionally, the main compartment is usually divided into two sub-compartments by a fibrous septum, one for the abductor pollicis longus and its accessory tendons (one to five tendons), the other for the extensor pollicis brevis and one accessory tendon. Septation varied involving the distal one-third to the entire compartment. The abductor pollicis longus has only tendon that inserts into the base of the first metacarpal; the accessory tendon inserts upon the dorsal surface of the base of the distal phalanx of the thumb. Therefore, in the surgical decompression for de Quervain’s disease, the recognition of the presence of these tendons and in particular the presence or absence of a separate osteo-fibrous compartment is of great importance. In addition knowledge of the location of their insertions should be useful for transfer procedures.

Variation in subscapularis muscle fibres arrangement in Thais.

An arrangement of subscapularis muscle fibres was investigated in 33 male and 15 female Thai cadavers. The muscle was a sheet showing multipennate arrangement. It consisted of upper pinnate fasciculi interdigitating with lower pinnate fasciculi. Each upper and lower pennate fasciculus had ascending and descending intramuscular tendinous septum in the middle respectively. In addition, some descending tendinous septa bifurcated and the lower pennate fasciculus were subdivided into pair pennate fasciculi. New discovery of the bifurcation of some asconding septa and the upper pair pennate fasciculi was recorded.