Extraneural Arterial Blood Vessels of Human Fetal Sciatic Nerve

Abstract

Nerves get segmental blood supply either from the neighboring muscular and cutaneous branches or from the regional main arterial trunks. The aim of our research was to detect, in the gluteal and posterior femoral region, the blood vessels which are involved in the blood supply of the human fetal sciatic nerve, as well as to establish their origin. Micro-dissection was performed on 48 fetal lower extremities which were previously fixed in 10% formalin. Micropaque solution (barium sulfate) was injected into their blood vessels. The fetal gestational age was established by measuring the crump-crown length and it ranged from the third to the ninth lunar month. The observed nutritional arteries of the human sciatic nerve originated from the inferior gluteal artery, medial circumflex femoral artery, perforating branches, and popliteal artery. The anastomotic arterial chain of the human sciatic nerve was observed in all cases. In 75% of the cases it was composed of the branches of the inferior gluteal artery, the medial circumflex femoral artery and the first two perforating arteries. The nutrient branch of the third perforating branch was less frequently (in 14.5% of the cases) part of this anastomotic arterial chain.

Similarities and dissimilarities of the blood supplies of the human sciatic, tibial, and common peroneal nerves

“…Georgakis and Soames () observed the accompanying artery of the sciatic nerve to be a branch of the medial circumflex femoral artery in 50%, inferior gluteal artery in 39%, the first perforating artery in 7%, and internal pudendal artery in 4% of specimens. In the present as well as our previous research (Ugrenovic et al, ), we observed it solely as a branch of the inferior gluteal artery. The number of popliteal artery branches supplying the sciatic nerve differed between this and our previous research (Ugrenovic et al, ).…”

“…In the present as well as our previous research (Ugrenovic et al, ), we observed it solely as a branch of the inferior gluteal artery. The number of popliteal artery branches supplying the sciatic nerve differed between this and our previous research (Ugrenovic et al, ). In this study, the popliteal artery gave off the branch for the sciatic nerve supply in 19.4% of the specimens, higher than 8.3% of the dissections observed during our earlier research.…”

“…We used the same microdissection techniques as in our previous research (Ugrenovic et al, ). The microdissection procedure of the fetal lower extremities was as follows: first, two horizontal cuts of the skin of the posterior aspect of the lower extremities were made; the first cut at the level of iliac crest, the second at the level of the ankle; these two cuts were connected with the third vertical cut.…”

“…During a previous study, we examined blood vessels which take part in the supply of the fetal sciatic nerve, up to the level of its terminal division (Ugrenovic et al, ). This study investigated this topic further and aimed to establish the number and the origin of sciatic nerve, common peroneal, and tibial nerve extraneural blood vessels, as well as, to describe their intraneural vascular pattern.…”

An artery accompanying the sciatic nerve (arteria comitans nervi ischiadici) and the position of the hip joint: a comparative histological study using chick, mouse, and human foetal specimens

“…Does the foetal sciatic nerve have an accompanying space that would favour secondary development of a longitudinal artery? The sciatic nerve receives multiple feeding arteries, especially from the deep femoral artery, in foetuses [38] as well as in adults [10,16]. Consequently, the primary aim of this study was to determine the human foetal topographical anatomy of the sciatic nerve around the highly flexed hip joint.…”