Architecture of blood vessels in human fetal gastric corpus: a corrosion casting study.

Vascular architecture of the gastric corpus was investigated in 16-24 wk human fetuses using a corrosion casting technique and the scanning electron microscopy. The general distribution of blood vessels seen in adults has already been established in the fetus, with three major vascular plexuses located in the serosa, submucosa and mucosa. The serosal plexus, supplied and drained by large extramural vessels, contained anastomosing, arcade-like arrays of arteries and veins with their branches piercing the muscularis and communicating with the compact submucosal plexus. Vertical arterioles and capillaries were sent by submucosal arteries to supply a very dense capillary plexus which surrounded the gastric pits and consisted of wide, sinusoidal vessels showing morphological manifestations of angiogenesis by intussusceptive growth. The plexus was drained by vertical venules emptying into submucosal veins. In contrast to the richly vascularized upper half of the mucosa, the lower half showed a relative paucity of blood vessels, probably due to the thinness of the fetal mucosa allowing an effective diffusion of oxygen and nutrients from the upper half. Neither arteriovenous anastomoses, nor end-arteries were found in the fetal stomach. Results of this study support one of the two existing models of mucosal vascularization in the human stomach: i.e. the model postulating the presence of short and long arterioles and two distinct, albeit interconnected capillary networks in the upper and lower zones of the mucosa respectively. In human fetuses, the latter network is absent; it probably develops by remodelling of the preexisting vertical capillaries in the last phase of pregnancy, prior to the onset of gastric gland function.

Extraorganic vascular system of adrenal glands in human fetuses.

The injection method was used to study the origin and variability of the blood vessels forming the extraorganic vascular system of the adrenal glands. Studies were carried out on 40 human fetuses of a crown-rump length between 113 and 280 mm (14 to 28 weeks of fetal age). It was proved that the arterial blood supply during the fetal period is extremely variable in both the origin and the number of adrenal arteries, as well as in the asymmetry of the blood supply between the left and right adrenal glands. The three main origins of the suprarenal arteries are from the inferior phrenic artery, the abdominal aorta and the renal artery. The inferior phrenic artery is the main one supplying the suprarenal glands during the fetal period. A characteristic feature of the extraorganic venous system in fetal adrenal glands is the constant presence of the adrenal vein, including number, orifice and the main tributaries.

Microcirculation of human fetal posterior root ganglia: a scanning electron microscopic study of corrosion casts.

The vasculature of lumbar posterior root ganglia was investigated in human fetuses aged 17-24 weeks; using the corrosion casting technique and scanning electron microscopy. The arterial supply consisted of one main artery and occasional arterioles entering the ganglion at its pole and running axially, while the venous drainage was located at the periphery of the ganglion, thus indicating a centrifugal pattern of blood flow. The dense capillary network of the ganglion showed the roughly parallel course of the vessels in the central zone and an irregular arrangement in the peripheral zone where capillaries formed "nests", probably surrounding individual perikaryons of ganglionic cells. The capillaries had a sinusoidal character with numerous dilatations about twice the normal capillary size, as well as occasional larger vascular spaces resulting from capillary interconnections and suggesting the intussusceptive type of angiogenesis.

The architecture of internal blood vessels in human fetal vertebral bodies.

The internal vascular system of vertebral bodies was investigated in 17-24 wk human fetuses by acrylic dye injection and by corrosion casting/scanning electron microscopy. The regions of intervertebral spaces did not contain blood vessels. The radial metaphyseal vessels were at the stage of centripetal ingrowth into the vertebral body cartilage and their terminal, blindly ending segments had a form of cuff-like capillary plexuses. The anterolateral equatorial arteries communicating with the vessels of the ossification centre were only rarely found. The centre was usually supplied by 2 posterior (nutrient) arteries which branched into an arcade-like array of arterioles equipped with occasional sphincters and giving origin to a dense network of peripherally located capillaries. Numerous blind capillary buds formed the advancing border of the ossification centre. The veins usually accompanied the arteries. In the ossification centre the venous compartment consisted of sinuses drained by larger posterior veins. In the 17 wk fetus, an axial avascular area was observed in the place of notochord localisation, indicating the formation of a ring-shaped ossification centre around the notochord remnants at earlier stages of fetal development.

[Changes in vascularization of sternocleidomastoid myocutaneous flaps]. / Badania zmiennosci unaczynienia platów miesniowo-skórnych z miesnia mostkowo-obojczykowo-sutkowego.

Studies of variation in the vascularisation of the sternocleidomastoid myocutaneous flap. An investigation of vascularisation of the sternocleidomastoid myocutaneous flaps was conducted. The research was performed on human cadavers and after injection of arteries 40 myocutaneous flaps of sternocleidomastoid muscle were isolated. The experiment was performed to investigate the origin of the arteries vascularising the muscle and the area of skin, which were used to make the myocutaneous flaps. Changes are characteristic in the lower 2/3 parts of the muscle. These variables may exert an important influence of the outcome of reconstruction treatment in the case of the flaps used from the lower attachment of the muscle.

The posterior gastric and superior polar arteries in human fetuses.

In 67 human fetuses 127-285 mm of crown-rump length (15 to 28 weeks of fetal age), the variability of the posterior gastric artery (PGA) and superior polar artery (SPA) was investigated. The vascular bed was injected with colored acrylic emulsion, and diaphanisation in methyl salicylate, taken from tissue blocks. The arteries were found in 62 fetuses (92.5%). In 40 cases (59.7%) only PGA, in 17 cases (25.3%) only SPA, and in 5 cases (7.5%) both arteries were observed. They usually originated from the pancreatic portion of the lienal artery or rarely from its terminal branches. PGA supplied part of the posterior wall of the stomach and in 4.5% it supplied also the posterior wall of the abdominal portion of the esophagus. SPA supplied the superior end of the spleen and through 1-3 branches it supplied the posterior wall of the fundus of the stomach.

[Studies of the changes in vascularization of the myocutaneous flaps of the pectoralis major. Preliminary report]. / Badania zmiennosci unaczynienia platów miesniowo-skórnych z miesnia piersiowego wiekszego. Doniesienie wstepne.

The research in the vascularisation of myocutaneous flaps of the pectoralis major muscle was conducted on the human cadavers. After the injection of the arteries 20 myocutaneous flaps were created. The main artery which is the source of vascularization of this muscle is pectoralis branch of thoraco-acromial artery. The objective of the research was to find out the direction of run of this artery. The direction variability was defined. The variability in the run of the branch of the thoraco-acromial artery refers to the place of departure from the thoraco-acromial artery, does not influence usefulness of the pectoral major muscle in creating the myocutaneous flap, considering the constant pathway of run of the distal part of this artery. The results of our research was compared with the classical description of the vascularisation given by the creator of this flap as well as with the works of authors dealing with the same issue.

Arterial vascularization of the terminal ileum in human fetuses.

In 67 human fetuses of the crown-rump length from 58 mm to 285 mm (10 to 28 weeks of fetal age) the variability of the arterial vascularization of the terminal ileum was studied using the injection method. Three main angiomorphological types were distinguished on the basis of the frequency of occurrence of the ileocolic artery and the superior mesenteric artery ramifications and their contribution to vascularization of this part of the alimentary canal. Most frequent was found type I [46.3%] in which arterial supply of the terminal ileum stemmed from the recurrent ileal artery only or from the recurrent ileal artery and the superior recurrent artery. The type II [43.3%] was observed less frequently. In this type the terminal ileum was supplied by the recurrent ileal artery and the ileal branch of the ileocolic artery. In the most seldom type III [10.4%] the terminal ileum was vascularized by the stem of the superior mesenteric artery. The results were compared with those reported by other authors who studied the similar problem in adults.

[Evaluation of elemental and mineral composition of larynx thyroid cartilage in the period of its involutional mineralization]. / Ocena skladu pierwiastkowego i mineralnego chrzastki tarczowatej krtani w okresie jej mineralizacji inwolucyjnej.

The research has been conducted on the material of 170 larynx thyroid cartilages of persons in the age range from 19 to 99 years, applying the radiological method, spectroscopy, electyronic scanning microskopy and rentgenological diffractometry. The distribution of certain elements has been determined in fragments of thyroid cartilage with different progression of mineralization. It has been proved that the elemental composition of the examined thyroid cartilages depends on the individual age and the progression of mineralization, resulting from the age.

The vascular system of human fetal long bones: a scanning electron microscope study of corrosion casts.

The vascular system of the femur and humerus was investigated in 17-24 wk human fetuses by scanning electron microscopy of corrosion casts. The number of nutrient foramina present in both bones ranged from 1 to 3 and the number of nutrient vessels associated with individual foramina also varied. The medullary arteries supplied both the bone cortex and marrow. There was no arterial supply to the shaft cortex from the periosteal side, where only capillaries were found to enter the bone. The metaphyses were supplied and drained by conspicuous vascular triads composed of an artery and 2 veins. In the marrow cavity, 2 morphologically different areas of the fine vascular network could be distinguished: diaphyseal sinusoids and metaphyseal capillaries forming a 'vascular besom' which was abruptly demarcated by the growth plate cartilage. The cortical microvascular bed was composed of capillaries and more numerous irregular sinusoids. The 2 main vascular systems, nutrient and periosteal, were interconnected not only via the network of cortical capillaries/sinusoids, but also by larger arteries and veins traversing the cortex. The features of the vascular system of human fetal long bones suggest its considerable functional flexibility and its capacity to modify blood flow patterns depending on circumstances.

Blood vessels in epiphyseal cartilage of human fetal femoral bone: a scanning electron microscopic study of corrosion casts.

Formation of intrachondral vessels (cartilage canals) in the proximal femoral epiphysis was studied in 13- to 22-week-old human fetuses using a corrosion casting technique and scanning electron microscopy. Several successive morphological stages of angiogenesis occurring inside the hyaline cartilage were distinguished. The process of cartilage vascularization starts with the formation of hairpin loops sent off from the perichondrial vascular network into the adjacent cartilage. A capillary glomerulus is then formed at the leading end, and the entire vascular unit grows in length, assuming a mushroom-like shape. Its further elongation is accompanied by a backward expansion of the capillary network which surrounds a pair of main vessels (arteriole and venule) like a manchette. The subsequent branching of such primary vascular units proceeds according to the same morphological patterns. The resulting tree-like vascular formations become interconnected via their lateral branches. This study clearly supports the invasion theory of cartilage canal formation.

Microcirculation of human fetal tooth buds: a SEM study of corrosion casts.

The microcirculation of tooth buds at the bell stage obtained from 5-month-old human fetuses was studied using corrosion casting and scanning electron microscopy. Each tooth bud has two independent vascular networks: one of the enamel organ and one of the dental papilla. Both systems are supplied by vertical branches of the inferior alveolar artery. The vascular bed of the enamel organ consists of capillaries relatively uniform in shape, forming a moderately dense network with irregular meshes. In contrast, the vasculature of dental papilla is extremely dense and its vessels show a sinusoidal character and signs of a vivid angiogenesis. The cast surfaces of capillaries in both vascular systems show the presence of tiny blebs probably representing extravasations of the casting medium through endothelial fenestrations.

The investigations of mechanical properties of ossificating thyroid cartilages of the human larynx.

40 thyroid cartilages were used to investigations, they were taken from bodies of people, died between the ages of 19-99, by the use of the endurance machine with controlled speed of the increase of deformation. It was observed that the durability for flexion and the inflexibility of the investigated cartilages depends on the level of the process of their ossification, that is estimated by the help of the radiological index of the ossification (RIO). On the other hand, the searches of durability forcing of the regions of cartilages that presented different levels of the ossification process, proved the heterogenicity of the structure of the cartilage, in which ossified parts are separated by zones, that did not submit to this process.

Ossification of human thyroid cartilage. Scanning electron microscopic study.

The architecture of the cartilage already developed within ossified areas have shown apparent differences not only depending on their location within cartilage territory but also due to their chemical composition. The cartilage areas exhibiting a markedly advanced ossification process have shown rather high concentration level of Ca, P and Si.

Blood vascular organization of the walls of vermiform appendix from human fetus. Examination of vascular corrosion casts in SEM.

Ten human vermiform appendices obtained from fetal corpses (160.0-240.0 mm of CRL) were examined using injection-micro corrosion method. Blood vascular bed reproduced with this method was observed with scanning electron microscope (SEM). Blood vascular bed structure of foetal appendix has been described, simultaneously with produced by them plexuses and organisation of microcirculation in a wall of the appendix. Collected results have been compared with data of other authors who conducted similar research on adult human appendices and appendices of several animal species.

The course and branching of the ileocolic artery in human fetuses.

The injection method was used to study the course and division of ileocolic artery in 67 human fetuses of the crown-rump length of 127 to 285 mm (15 to 28 weeks of fetal age). A significant variability was demonstrated in the number, diameter and the branching site of the ileocolic artery. On the basis of the thus adopted criteria, classification types of the studied artery were established.

The anatomical variations of the inferior mesenteric artery and its branches in human fetus.

Authors present the anatomical variations of the course of the inferior mesenteric artery and its branches in 62 human fetus. They mark out three types of supply of descending colon, sigmoid and rectum.

The morphological evaluation of frontal sinuses in the human skulls.

Using cranial radiographs of 214 skulls representing white population, morphological features (size and shape) of the frontal sinuses were evaluated and compared with data on Eskimo and Indian series representing yellow population. In both populations, white and yellow, the sinuses are better developed and are usually larger in men than in women. The sinuses of smooth contour are usually smaller than those with serrated contour, and in case of the first ones, the left one is missing. Distinct racial, qualitative and quantitative differences occur in the presence and size of the frontal sinuses area.