During routine bilateral dissection of 64 upper limbs in 32 adult human cadavers, four cases of an axillary arch, a muscular anomaly, were found. In one case, the axillary arch presented on both sides and in two cases it presented unilaterally on the right side. The innervation and relationships of the axillary arches are reported and the surgical significance of the anomaly is discussed.

A study was conducted, on 30 human fetuses, of the structures passing through the tympanosquamosal fissure. The tympanosquamosal fissure lies between the middle ear and the temporomandibular region. Meckel's cartilage passes through the tympanosquamosal fissure and continues on into the middle ear with the cartilaginous anlage of the malleus. A tract of fibrous tissue arises from the mesenchyme, located cranial and lateral to Meckel's cartilage, that enters from the posterior area of the temporomandibular joint disc to the middle ear through the tympanosquamosal fissure, and attaches onto the area of continuity of Meckel's cartilage with the malleus. Transformation of Meckel's cartilage into the sphenomandibular ligament and anterior ligament of the malleus determines their continuity through the tympanosquamosal fissure. The posterior fibers of the temporomandibular joint disc giving rise to the discomalleolar ligament insert into the anterior ligament of the malleus.

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The development and arrangement of the sphenomandibular ligament of 60 human embryos and fetuses were studied. Meckel's cartilage appeared as a single, continuous fibrous structure lying between the mandibular lingula and the malleus of the middle ear in fetuses of 210 mm crown-rump length (22 weeks of age) and over. This structure constitutes the malleolomandibular ligament, and two clearly differentiated portions bound by the tympanosquamosal fissure could be seen: a juxtaarticular portion, inserted on the posterior edge of the interpterygoid aponeurosis, and a tympanic portion, onto which the disc of the temporomandibular joint inserted. Some of the authors consider that if tension is applied to the sphenomandibular ligament this may injure the middle ear. The anatomical arrangement of the sphenomandibular ligament could explain these injuries.

The anterior tympanic artery, a branch of the maxillary artery, ascends through the retroarticular region dividing into anterior branches that spread through the posterior part of the temporomandibular joint, and posterior branches that contribute to the vascularization of the external acoustic meatus and the tympanic cavity. The arrangement of the anterior tympanic artery was studied bilaterally in 18 adult cadavers. In some cases, the anterior tympanic artery branches off from the superficial temporal artery. The relationships of the anterior tympanic artery with the posterior part of the temporomandibular joint were analyzed.