Background: Variations in the morphology of the upper limb muscles are not uncommon. These variant muscles may compress the adjacent neurovascular structures by their anomalous positions. The knowledge of supernumerary heads of biceps brachii, variant bicipital aponeurosis and an abnormal tendinous insertion of coracobrachialis may cause clinical conditions like median nerve entrapment, compression of brachial artery, pronator syndrome etc. Materials and Methods: The present study was undertaken to observe the anomalous origin and insertion of upper limb muscles and their relation to neurovascular structures in vicinity. This study was carried out in 60 upper limbs of 30 formalin fixed human cadavers in the Department of Anatomy, KAPV Government Medical College, Trichy. Results: Among the sixty upper limbs, variations were found in three separate limbs. The variations included an accessory head of biceps brachii, a muscular slip from the bicipital aponeurosis which gave extensions to the forearm muscles and an anomalous origin and tendinous extension of coracobrachialis muscle to the medial epicondyle of humerus. Conclusion: Knowledge of supernumerary heads of biceps brachii, accessory slips from bicipital aponeurosis and anomalous origin and insertion of coracobrachialis is essential in preoperative diagnosis and surgery of upper limbs, as they may cause compression of neurovascular structures like brachial artery, median nerve and ulnar nerve.

Background: Since many clinical conditions affecting the brain stem are the results of vascular lesions, profound knowledge of vertebrobasilar circulation is of utmost clinical importance.Variations in the origin of superior cerebellar artery(SCA) are frequently observed and these may play an important role in neurovascular compression syndrome, as III,IV and V cranial nerves are closely related to SCA. Being one of the frequent locations for aneurysms of posterior circulation,variations of SCA should be considered prior to any diagnostic or therapeutic procedures in basilar tip region.

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Background: The ileocaecal region is a juncture where the ileum enters the colon and the caecum is continuous proximally with terminal ileum and distally with the ascending colon. The ileocaecal orifice is guarded by ileocaecal valve. The caecum and the ileocaecal valve show significant variations in the shape and dimensions. The ileocaecal region is the common site for clinical conditions like polyps, diverticulae, volvulus & intussusception. Use of ileocaecal segment in bladder reconstruction surgery also makes anatomy of this region more important. The aim of our study was to elucidate the morphological variations of caecum and ileocaecal valve and their clinical importance. Materials and Methods:The present study was conducted on 100 human cadaveric specimens, during routine dissection for the undergraduate students in the department of Anatomy, K.A.P.V. Government medical college, Trichy. The size & shape of the caecum, level of its peritoneal attachment, position & shape of the ileocaecal valve, its dimensions, the distance between the ileocaecal and appendicular orifices were noted and measured.Results: The length of the caecum ranged from 2to 7 cm. The breadth of caecum ranged from 4.5 to 7cm. The shape of caecum was of Adult type in 97% of cases. The caecum was completely covered by peritoneum and not fused to the posterior abdominal wall in 75% of cases. The ileum terminates into the posteromedial aspect ofcaecum in 58% ofcases. The shape of ileocaecal orifice was slit like in 49% of cases. The height of upper labia of ileocaecal valve was within the range of 0.5cm-2.5cm, and of lower labia ranged from 0.5cm to 1cm. The diameter of ileocaecal orifice varied from 1.1 to 2.5 cm. The distance between the ileocaecal and appendicular orifices ranged between 1.7 -5cm. Conclusion:This study focused on normal and variant anatomy of caecum and ileocaecal junction. This study will be of help in radiological, ultrasonic and CT diagnosis of the ileocaecal region pathology and in planning for better therapeutic options.