Surgical relevance of the lateral costotransverse ligament in relation to the dorsal root ganglion.

The lateral costotransverse ligament, a short band that stabilizes the costovertebral joint, is found in close proximity to the dorsal root ganglion. This ligament is an important surgical landmark during tumor resections or nerve blocks in the paravertebral space. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively and qualitatively describe the morphology of the lateral costotransverse ligament and its relation to the dorsal root ganglion at all levels of the thoracic spine. The thoracic spines of eight embalmed cadavers were dissected bilaterally. The length, width, and thickness of the ligament were measured. The distance from the inferolateral aspect of the ligament to the lateral aspect of the dorsal root ganglion was also measured. Three bilateral groups of lateral costotransverse ligaments, top (on ribs 1-2), middle (on ribs 3-10), and bottom (on ribs 11-12), were compared based on anatomic distinctions between the costotransverse joints, which can influence ligament morphology. Among the three groups, the differences between the length, width, and thickness were not statistically significant. However, the distance from the lateral costotransverse ligament to the dorsal root ganglion differed significantly (P = 0.000), with the middle group having the longest distance, and the bottom group having the shortest distance. This finding can help clinicians and surgeons avoid iatrogenic injuries of neural structures during thoracic spine surgery, or when performing nerve blocks in the paravertebral space.

Hip fractures in the elderly-: A Clinical Anatomy Review.

As elderly populations rise worldwide, the amount of hip fractures have continued to increase and result in substantial medical burdens in many countries. This increase goes hand-in-hand with an increase in surgical procedures to correct hip fractures. The medical burden imparted by hip fractures and their corrective surgeries necessitate a clinically relevant understanding of the hip joint including the vascular, neural, and musculoskeletal structures directly associated with and neighboring the joint. It is critical to appreciate how the normal hip anatomy is disrupted by a fracture and how this disruption is heavily influenced by the fracture's location. The effects of advancing age on the integrity of the hip joint and the risk of hip fractures further complicate hip anatomy. Consequentially, normal hip anatomy, aging and the pathology introduced by fractures play major roles in how hip fractures are approached surgically. This article aims to review the clinically relevant anatomy of the healthy hip joint, age-related changes that influence the joint, hip fractures, and corrective surgeries for hip fractures. Clin. Anat. 30:89-97, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Five common clinical presentations in the elderly: An anatomical review.

Elderly patients face distinct health challenges and have an increased demand for specific medical procedures. As the aging population continues to increase, age-associated conditions such as congestive heart failure, hip fractures, spine degeneration, dementia, and airway compromise will increase in prevalence and procedures to correct these conditions will be increasingly performed. A clear understanding of the clinical anatomy of these diseases and procedures is imperative for anatomists and clinicians alike in order to best treat patients and continue to advance aging research and better teach future medical practitioners about the specific anatomy often involved in this group. The aging process mirrors in a variety of ways the common pathologies of the elderly, but it is key to draw the distinction between normal aging and pathology, particularly for congestive heart failure and dementia, in the clinical setting. This article aims to review the common presentations or procedures of the elderly and how the normal aging process is associated with the anatomy of these conditions or complications. Clin. Anat. 30:168-174, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sciatic Nerve Intercommunications: New Finding.

OBJECTIVE: Communicating branches between the tibial and common fibular divisions of the sciatic nerve have not been previously described. The aim of our study was to examine such neural connections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty unembalmed adult cadavers underwent dissection of the sciatic nerve. Observations were made for interneural communications between the tibial and common fibular divisions of this nerve. When present, these were measured and classified. RESULTS: The majority of sides (75%) had neural communications between the parts of the sciatic nerve in the gluteal/posterior thigh regions before the normal bifurcation of the nerve just above the knee. These connections were always within 20 cm of the greater sciatic notch. Most connections were represented by Testut intercommunicating branches types A (14 sides), F (8 sides), and D (2 sides). Most sides were found to have 1 location for sciatic nerve intercommunications. However, 4 sides (13%) had multiple locations (up to 3) for these intercommunications. The mean length of the communications was 4.1 cm, and the mean diameter was 2.4 mm. No statistically significant difference was found between sides or sexes. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, neural interconnections between the divisions of the sciatic nerve in the posterior thigh have not been described in the extant literature. Such data might help explain unusual neurologic examinations and alert the surgeon as to the potential for encountering such connections at operation.