Investigation of anulus fibrosus morphology in human fetus intervertebral discs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the thickness of the anulus fibrosus (AF) structure of the intervertebral disc plays a role in disc herniation etiology, an important pathology. METHODS: We performed this study between February 2000 and May 2001 at Karadeniz Technical University Medical Faculty, Turkey. We used 20 human fetus cadavers with intrauterine ages between 22 and 41 weeks, taking into consideration the highest, lowest, and average frequencies, with 3 each of cervical, thoracal, and lumbar parts of the vertebral column, using a total of 9 intervertebral discs. We measured the thickness of the AF layer in each intervertebral disc in anterior, posterior, postero-dexter, and postero-sinister locations. We performed comparisons among the values obtained at the same level, and of comparative thicknesses at the same location at other levels. RESULTS: It was determined that there was no difference between the thickness of the AF in the same location at the various levels of intervertebral discs, but that at almost all levels, the thickness in posterior and anterior locations was significantly less compared to that in posterolateral locations. CONCLUSION: Anulus fibrosus thickness is not directly related to the incidence of disk hernia at different levels of the vertebral column according to the values obtained from this study.

Comparison of thicknesses of the myocardial fibers of anencephalic and normal human fetuses.

When heart transplantation is needed in newborns, brain death should be confirmed, and the heart should not be exposed to hypoxia. The anencephalic newborn has been presented as a donor in heart transplantation. It is important, therefore, to evaluate possible morphological differences in the hearts of anencephalic cases. In this study, muscle fibers were studied in 10 anencephalic and 10 normal fetuses (27-35 weeks) and the results were compared. Random samples were taken from the upper 1/3 of the right ventricle's posterior wall and processed for light microscopic examination. Thicknesses of the 100 myocardial muscle fibers for each fetus were evaluated. There was statistically no significant difference between the anencephalic and normal fetus groups and the sex groups. Morphological features of the transplant probably affects the performance of the heart after operation. The anencephalic fetuses could be unique donors for heart transplantation.