Histogenesis of Muscularis Mucosa and Muscularis Externa of Stomach: A Human Foetal Study.

INTRODUCTION: The histological and developmental knowledge of musculature of stomach wall is vital for the assessment and management of various associated congenital abnormalities like hypertrophy of pyloric musculature and pathologies of nerve terminals and ganglia. AIM: To study the development of muscularis mucosa and muscularis externa in human foetal stomach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 22 aborted human foetuses of varying gestational ages ranging from 10-26 weeks. The foetuses were procured after obtaining Institutional Ethical Clearance and informed consent of parents of the aborted foetuses. Stomach was dissected and immersed fixed in 10% formalin and then sectioned and stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin and Masson's Trichrome. RESULTS: The muscularis mucosa appeared as a thin layer of smooth muscle strands at 14 weeks of gestation and later developed as a continuous and well developed layer by 22 weeks. Muscularis externa was composed of only two layers in early gestational ages from 10-15 weeks with predominant circular and discrete outer longitudinal muscle coat. The innermost layer of oblique muscle developed later at 16 weeks of gestation. CONCLUSION: The gastric muscularis mucosa and muscularis externa developed and differentiated sequentially in the human foetuses. The musculature in pyloric region of stomach was more developed and thick than the body and fundus of stomach in all foetuses at all gestational ages.

Unusual Variation in the Branching Pattern of the Celiac Trunk and Its Embryological and Clinical Perspective.

Knowledge of variations in the branching pattern of Celiac Trunk (CT) is important for surgeries of stomach, duodenum, pancreas and hepatobiliary region, for abdominal aortic aneurysm, for liver transplant and chaemoembolization of hepatic tumours. An unusual variation in the branching pattern of CT was observed in 50-year-old male cadaver of Indian origin. CT divided into six branches out of which right & left inferior phrenic arteries originated as first two branches and left gastric artery as the third branch. CT ended into three terminal branches as common hepatic artery, splenic artery & dorsal pancreatic artery. Right gastric artery originated from left hepatic artery instead of common hepatic artery. A variant hepatic artery to the left lobe of liver was also observed which originated from right gastric artery. Anatomical variations in the branching pattern of CT are due to developmental changes in ventral splanchnic artery.

Right Sided Sigmoid Colon and Redundant Loop of Descending Colon with Its Embryological Correlation and Clinical Significance.

Anatomical variations of colon are mostly developmental and can lead to variety of acute and chronic pathological conditions. So it becomes important to recognize and understand the importance of clinical implications of such anomalies to benefit surgeons, clinical geneticists and research community. We describe two cases of right sided sigmoid colon and long descending colon which had two segments: vertical and horizontal. The mesentery of ascending and descending colon was retained. This mesentery along with the mesentery of transverse colon was continuous with the mesentery of small intestine. There were variations in blood vessels supplying these anomalous colons. The findings of this study may be helpful to make surgeons and radiologists aware about different varieties of presentations while undertaking an investigative or surgical procedure in this area like sigmoidoscopy, percutaneous cecostomy and anterior transperitoneal aproach of kidney to avoid colon puncture.