Morphometry of organization of middle meningeal artery through the analysis of bony canal in human's skull: A clinico-anatomical and embryological insight.

BACKGROUND: Middle meningeal artery (MMA) is the largest branch of the maxillary artery supplying meninges of the cranial cavity. The complexity of MMA development gives many opportunities for anatomical variation. Besides, the variant MMA can be easily injured when dealing with fractures of the base of the skull, epidural hematomas, and bypass procedures. Although various aberrant origins of the MMA have been documented in the literature, there is a lack of detailed morphometric aspects of this important arterial segment. Thus, in this study, we investigated the anatomical organization of the MMA through the bony canal measurements from human skulls to improve surgical results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-five adult dry skulls were investigated. Angle of the main trunk, length of the main trunk, angle between the frontal and parietal branches, length of the frontal branch, length of the parietal branch, and length of the bony tunnel formed by the frontal branch were measured bilaterally. RESULTS: In the present study, we found significant differences between the parameters such as length of frontal (P = 0.034) and parietal (P = 0.023) branches and length of bony tunnel (P = 0.045) of right and left sides, but there was no significant difference found in the rest of the parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Morphometry of the bony canal of MMA shall be important for safely expose and preserve the artery during craniotomy with careful drilling and shall be useful for those who have interest in this anatomical site.

Integrating hospital-acquired lessons into community health practice: optimizing antimicrobial use in Bangalore.

INTRODUCTION: Even as antimicrobial resistance is a serious public health concern worldwide, the uncertainties of diagnosis and treatment of fever strongly influence community practitioners toward prescribing antibiotics. To help community practitioners resolve their diagnostic questions and reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics for viral fevers, thus helping to contain antibiotic resistance, we suggest fever-charting and monitoring fever patterns for two days. METHODS: This was a qualitative study, with relevant quantitative descriptions. Patients presenting with recent onset fever to the Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) and Research Centre, Bangalore, India, were monitored with simple fever charting and managed based on their fever patterns for two days. Initially only antipyretics were given in optimal doses; if the fever showed a continuous pattern suggestive of septicemia, antibiotics were instituted for typhoid, the commonest organism to cause sepsis in a community setting short of pointers to other causes. The different clinical profiles of these patients of viral and enteric fevers were circulated among the community practitioners, and an assessment of their approach was made. Finally, it was revealed to the practitioners how successful management of the patient was possible without antibiotics. RESULTS: During the study period, 4289 patients presented to VIMS. The antibiotic prescribing rate when given the clinical profiles of true patients with viral fevers was high among community practitioners. Community practitioners agreed that in a controlled hospital setting, the results could be spectacular, but the challenges were different in community practice. There was an initial reluctance to use fever charting due to fear of patient noncompliance. DISCUSSION: Fever charting can be an invaluable means to help differentiate viral and enteric fevers and thus help reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for viral fevers.