Background. As the mental foramen (MF) is an important landmark to facilitate surgical, local anesthetic, and other invasive procedures, the present study was aimed to elucidate its morphological features and morphometric parameters with reference to surrounding landmarks. Material and Method. 105 dry adult human mandibles of unknown sex were observed for position, shape, and number of mental foramina. Their size was measured using a digital vernier caliper and statistically analyzed by mean and standard deviations (SD). Results. In most cases (74.3%), the MF was oval in shape and situated on the longitudinal axis of the 2nd premolar tooth (61% on right side and 59.1% on left side). The mean distance for the right and left sides was measured from various landmarks. Conclusion. Prior knowledge of mental foramen variations helps surgeons in planning surgery in that region to avoid nerve damage and also enable effective mental nerve block anesthesia.

Salivary glands are the first organs of digestion secreting their digestive juices into the oral cavity. Parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands are the major paired salivary glands in the decreasing order of their size. In addition, multiple small minor salivary glands are noted randomly distributed in the upper aerodigestive tract, including paranasal sinuses and parapharyngeal spaces. The imaging is directed to the major salivary glands. Commonly used imaging methods include plain radiography and conventional sialography. Recently, high-resolution ultrasonography (HRUS) is being increasingly used for targeted salivary gland imaging. However, the advent of cross-sectional imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have revolutionized the imaging of salivary glands. This article illustrates the role of imaging in evaluating the variegated disease pattern of the major salivary glands.

Variations of the branches of aortic arch are due to alteration in the development of certain branchial arch arteries during embryonic period. Knowledge of these variations is important during aortic instrumentation, thoracic, and neck surgeries. In the present study we observed these variations in fifty-two cadavers from Indian populations. In thirty-three (63.5%) cadavers, the aortic arch showed classical branching pattern which includes brachiocephalic trunk, left common carotid artery, and left subclavian artery. In nineteen (36.5%) cadavers it showed variations in the branching pattern, which include the two branches, namely, left subclavian artery and a common trunk in 19.2% cases, four branches, namely, brachiocephalic trunk, left common carotid artery, left vertebral artery, and left subclavian artery in 15.3% cases, and the three branches, namely, common trunk, left vertebral artery, and left subclavian artery in 1.9% cases.

Abdominal cocoon or sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction that has been described mostly in young adolescent girls. Thick fibrotic peritoneum encasing the small bowel in a small volume is a pathognomonic feature. This condition presents many difficulties in preoperative diagnosis. Early diagnosis can result in proper management, and may prevent the need for bowel resection. The author reports a case of a male patient with intermittent subacute intestinal obstruction and an abdominal cocoon encasing the small bowel secondary to abdominal tuberculosis, which was suspected preoperatively by radiology. To the best of our knowledge, this case represents one of the very few male patients with this disease entity reported in medical literature.

Aim:To evaluate the efficacy of ultrasonography (USG) with color Doppler and power Doppler applications over conventional radiography in the diagnosis of periapical lesions.Materials and Methods:Thirty patients having inflammatory periapical lesions of the maxillary or mandibular anterior teeth and requiring endodontic surgery were selected for inclusion in this study. All patients consented to participate in the study. We used conventional periapical radiographs as well as USG with color Doppler and power Doppler for the diagnosis of these lesions. Their diagnostic performances were compared against histopathologic examination. All data were compared and statistically analyzed.Results:USG examination with color Doppler and power Doppler identified 29 (19 cysts and 10 granulomas) of 30 periapical lesions accurately, with a sensitivity of 100% for cysts and 90.91% for granulomas and a specificity of 90.91% for cysts and 100% for granulomas. In comparison, conventional intraoral radiography identified only 21 lesions (sensitivity of 78.9% for cysts and 45.4% for granulomas and specificity of 45.4% for cysts and 78.9% for granulomas). There was definite correlation between the echotexture of the lesions and the histopathological features except in one case.Conclusions:USG imaging with color Doppler and power Doppler is superior to conventional intraoral radiographic methods for diagnosing the nature of periapical lesions in the anterior jaws. This study reveals the potential of USG examination in the study of other jaw lesions.