No abstract

Anterior odontoid screw fixation is a safe and effective method for treatment of odontoid fractures. The screw treads should fit into the odontoid medulla, should pass the fracture line, and should pull fractured odontoid tip against body of axis in order to achieve optimum screw placement and treatment. This study has demonstrated optimal anterior odontoid screw thickness, length, and optimal angle for safe and strong anterior odontoid screw placement. Dry bone axis vertebrae were evaluated by direct measurements, X-ray measurements, and computerized tomography (CT) measurements. The screw thickness (inner diameter of the odontoid) was measured as well as screw length (distance between anterior-inferior point body of axis and tip of odontoid), and screw angle (the angle between basis of axis and tip of odontoid). The inner diameter of odontoid bone was measured as 6.5 ± 1.9 mm, the screw length was 37.6 ± 3.3 mm, and the screw angle was 62.4 ± 4.7 on CT. There was no statistical difference between X-ray and CT in the measurements of screw thickness and angle. X-ray and CT measurements are both safe methods to determine the inner odontoid diameter and angle preoperatively. Screw length should be measured on CT only. To provide safe and strong anterior odontoid screw fixation, screw thickness, length, and angle should be known preoperatively, and these can be measured on X-ray and CT.

In this study we tested the immunohistochemical reactions of various markers for the enteric nervous system in whole-mount preparations of the human colon. For that purpose we used polyclonal antibodies against the neuronal markers--protein gene product 9.5 (PGP), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), neurofilament protein 200 (NFP), microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs); and the glial markers--S-100 protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) for the immunoperoxidase reaction. Whole-mount preparations are more suitable for histopathological evaluation and interpretation than sections, because the enteric nervous system consists of three-dimensional plexuses lying within the layers of the intestinal wall. Sections show only a part of the plexuses, neurons and glial cells. On the other hand, whole-mount preparations reveal the morphology of the plexuses as a whole. Among the neuronal and glial markers used, S-100 protein, the neurofilament protein, and the protein gene product 9.5 (PGP) produced the best results. Furthermore, this developing method provides new possibilities for the histopathological analysis of defects in the enteric nervous system, such as neuronal intestinal dysplasia (NID).

In this study, the course of the lateral femoral cutaneous n. was examined bilaterally in 22 cadavers. Seven of these 44 lateral femoral cutaneous nn. showed variations in their course, especially in their number of branches under the inguinal ligament. During operations where the lateral femoral cutaneous n. may be demaged or in its decompression surgery, the nerve is to be found under the inguinal ligament. 1.52 +/- 0.84 cm medial to the anterior superior iliac spine. This nerve can be found passing through the inguinal ligament in as many as four branches.

The aim of this study was to provide detailed information about the arterial vascularization of the splenium of the corpus callosum (CC). The splenium is unique in that it is part of the largest commissural tract in the brain and a region in which pathologies are seen frequently. An exact description of the arterial vascularization of this part of the CC remains under debate. Thirty adult human brains (60 hemispheres) were obtained from routine autopsies. Cerebral arteries were separately cannulated and injected with colored latex. Then, the brains were fixed in formaldehyde, and dissections were performed using a surgical microscope. The diameter of the arterial branches supplying the splenium of the CC at their origin was investigated, and the vascularization patterns of these branches were observed. Vascular supply to the splenium was provided by the anterior pericallosal artery (40%) from the anterior circulation and by the posterior pericallosal artery (88%) and posterior accessory pericallosal artery (50%) from the posterior circulation. The vascularization pattern of the splenium differs in each hemisphere and is usually supplied by multiple branches. The arterial vascularization of the splenium of the CC was studied comprehensively considering the ongoing debate and the inadequacy of the studies on this issue currently available in the literature. This anatomical knowledge is essential during the treatment of pathologies in this region and especially for splenial arteriovenous malformations.