The femoral artery and its branches in the baboon Papio anubis

The aim of the research was to examine the anatomy of the arterial system in the inguinal region, hip and thigh of Papio anubis. No description of this was found in the available scientific literature, although, at the same time, the baboon is considered to be a good animal model in biomedical research. Macroscopic anatomical research was carried out on 20 hind limbs (10 cadavers: 9 male and 1 female) of adult Papio anubis and the results were then compared with the anatomy of the arterial hind limb systems of other apes as described in the literature. The circulatory system of the whole body was filled with coloured latex via the common carotid artery and internal jugular vein, and traditional methods were then used to prepare the vessels. The arterial system in the hind extremity of Papio anubis was recorded. The anatomical names of human arteries were used as well as the names of those of apes as applied in the literature. The femoral artery was the only artery supplying the hind limb of Papio anubis. It started under the inguinal ligament as a continuation of the external iliac artery. It went down and divided into the popliteal artery, which coursed in the popliteal fossa, and the saphenous artery, which passed on the medial side of the thigh and leg. The number of smaller branches and the way in which they issued from the larger arteries were documented. The external diameter and length of the hind limb arteries were measured. It was observed that the cutaneous branches of the femoral artery supplied the inguinal and genital regions and the abdominal wall, while the deep artery of the thigh was the main vessel of the hip and thigh

Superficial veins of the foot in the baboon Papio anubis

Although the baboon is considered a good animal model in biomedical research, no description of the superficial veins of the foot in Papio anubis is found in the available literature. The current study was conducted to document the anatomy of these veins in the baboon foot. A macroscopic anatomical investigation was carried out on 20 hind legs (10 cadavers) of the adult Papio anubis (9 males and 1 female). The circulatory system of the entire body was filled with coloured latex. Traditional methods were used for the preparation of the veins of the legs. These were then compared with the venous system of the lower extremities in humans as presented in the literature. The medial and lateral metatarsal veins, the dorsal venous network, the long saphenous vein and the short saphenous vein in Papio anubis were described according to their origin, course, opening, length and diameter. The network observed was divided into three types with respect to the connections between the superficial veins. The investigation revealed no symmetry in the venous system of the baboon foot. The short saphenous vein appeared to be the main vein of the hind leg in Papio anubis and the long saphenous vein ran as a double vessel

The topography of the superficial veins of the hind leg in the baboon Papio anubis in comparison with the superficial veins of the lower limb in humans

Our studies were carried out on 8 male and 2 female baboons Papio anubis cadavers. We examined a total of 20 hind legs. The vessels of the hind leg were filled with coloured latex. Afterwards we prepared the superficial and deep veins and accompanying arteries. We paid attention to the location, diameter and the course of the long and short saphenous veins. We found many differences between the system of superficial veins in the baboon hind leg and that in the human lower limb. First of all, the long saphenous vein in the baboon Papio anubis presented as two similar trunks that ran together with a concomitant artery. The saphenofemoral junction was also duplicated. The distance between these outlets was about 4 mm and their location was different from that in humans. Neither trunk exceeded 2.5 m in diameter. Some human-like features were noticed in the system of the short saphenous vein in Papio anubis. The diameter of the short saphenous vein and its course and the location of the saphenopopliteal junction were very similar to those in humans. On the other hand, the short saphenous vein was the main superficial venous channel of the hind limb of Papio anubis

Venous drainage of the middle lobe of the right lung in man

The shape of the middle lobe of the right lung may vary greatly because of the varying extent of its surfaces in different specimens and the profuse branching of the two segmental bronchi, arteries and veins. The architecture of the middle lobe is therefore especially difficult to understand. For these reasons, attention must be paid to the arrangements of the veins which separate its segments. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the ways in which venous drainage of the middle lobe segments may take place. The studies were performed on 40 organs taken from adult human cadavers of both sexes. The pulmonary vessels and bronchi were filled with Plastogen G, after which corrosion casts were made and skeletonised. The lateral segment (SIV) and the medial segment (SV) of the middle lobe were drained in 55% of specimens by one vein and in 35% of specimens by two separately terminated veins. Considerably less frequently there were 3 veins (7.5% of specimens) and only in 2.5% of specimens - 4 veins. In specimens where the middle lobe was drained by one vein (55%) it was formed by joining the lateral (V4) and the medial (V5) segmental veins. In 32.5% of specimens these two segmental veins were formed by a junction of their typical sub-segmental tributaries, where the posterior sub-segmental vein V4a and the superior sub-segmental vein V5a were intra-segmental veins, whereas the anterior sub-segmental vein V4b and the inferior sub-segmental vein V5b were inter-segmental veins. In the remaining 22.5% of specimens with one vein of the middle lobe we noticed modifications in the course of the bronchi, arteries and veins. In the middle lobes drained by two separate veins (35% of specimens) there were independently running segmental veins, V4 and V5. These were formed by their typical tributaries (15%), whereas in the remaining 20% of specimens there were unusual patterns. Three individual veins of the middle lobe (7.5% of specimens) accompanied the lateral-medial type of bronchial arrangement in 5% of specimens, while in 2.5% of specimens the bronchial pattern was of the superior-inferior type. These veins run so as to form more often two superior and one inferior vein. The venous pattern of the middle lobe was consistent with the bronchial and arterial patterns in 35% of specimens. However, this conformation was present in those organs (32.5% of specimens) where the middle lobe was drained by one vein and only in 2.5% of specimens if there were two veins. If 3 or 4 individually emptied veins were present, we could not find any organ in which the bronchial, arterial and venous pattern would be fully compatible. Thus, the research revealed that convenient conditions for the separation of the segments of the middle lobe of the right lung were present in approximately 1/3 of the middle lobes

The bifid anterior coracoscapular ligament: a new morphological variation and its potential clinical implications

The suprascapular notch (SSN) is the typical site of compression and injury of the suprascapular nerve (SN), which results in a neuropathy known as suprascapular nerve entrapment. The SSN is enclosed from the top by the superior traverse scapular ligament (STSL), creating a tunnel for the SN. On the both sides of the suprascapular notch, below the STSL, the anterior coracoscapular ligament (ACSL) is found. This fibrous band can potentially narrow the opening and contribute to the occurrence of suprascapular entrapment syndrome. This study presents a first case of a bifid anterior coracoscapular ligament coexisting with atypical suprascapular nerve course that has never been described in the literature. Knowledge of such anatomical variations can be helpful in arthroscopic and open procedures of the suprascapular region and confirms the safety of operative decompression for entrapment of the suprascapular nerve

Changes in the wall of the great saphenous vein at consecutive stages in patients suffering from chronic vein disease of the lower limbs

The aim of the study was to show the changes in the great saphenous vein (GSV) wall at consecutive stages in the development of chronic vein disease (CVD) in patients qualified for a surgical procedure after physical examination and Doppler ultrasonography. Four groups of patients were formed (C2, C3, C4 and C5/6) according to clinical stage of the CEAP classification (C - clinical signs, E - aetiopathology, A - anatomy and P - pathophysiology). After the surgical procedure for removal of the varicose GSVs, 40 segments were harvested from their proximal parts near the saphenofemoral junction, 10 segments for each CEAP group. The veins were sectioned transversally and stained with the resorcin-fuchsin and AZAN method to visualise the elastic end collagen fibres. Afterwards the specimens were analysed under an optical microscope and photographed. As the GSV is an elastic vessel and its wall is divided into three zones, namely the internal layer (intima), the medial layer (media) and the external layer (adventitia), we found a proliferation of the connective tissue among the smooth muscle cells inside the internal and medial layers at consecutive stages of CVD. The later stages of CVD also revealed a larger number of the elastic and collagen fibres inside the intima and media and a looser arrangement of the smooth muscle cells of the media in the GSV wall

Persistent jugulocephalic vein: case report including commentaries on distribution of valves, blood flow direction and embryology

This paper is a detailed case study of the persistent anastomotic channel between the cephalic vein and the external jugular vein, running anterior to the clavicle, corresponding to the jugulocephalic vein present at early stages of the ontogenesis in humans. This connection is not only a relic of early foetal development seldom occurring in adults, but it may also be of clinical significance, increasing the risk of complications during the cephalic vein catheterisation, clavicular fractures or head and neck surgery. The novelty in this paper was to determine the presence and distribution of valves within the persistent jugulocephalic vein. Three bicuspid venous valves were found that allowed the blood to flow only in one direction — from the cephalic vein to the external jugular vein. The anastomosis between the persistent jugulocephalic vein and the thoracoacromial veins was additionally present. Due to lack of similar data in the literature, further research should be performed on the presence and distribution of the venous valves in various types of the persistent jugulocephalic vein in humans

Arterial supply of human and bovine testes: a topographic and morphometric comparison study

The aim of the study was to compare the arteries supplying human and bovine masculine gonads. The study was made on two extremely different types of location of the mediastinum testis. The study was made on 100 (50 human and 50 bovine) corrosive casts of the testicular, cremasteric, and deference duct arteries. The differences between the species included different courses of the testicular artery inside the spermatic duct, the relative size of the three arterial diameters, and the morphology of the anastomoses of the arteries. In human testicular arteries, the course inside the spermatic course was more variable than in that of bulls. The artery was straighter and in 80% of the cases did not form the loops which were present in 100% of the bovine specimens. The bovine testicular artery was significantly wider in relation to the cremasteric and deferens duct arteries than the human one. This finding suggests that collateral blood flow to the testis was less effective in bulls than in men. The human testicular artery directly connected the other two with its terminal branches. The bovine testicular artery connected with the cremasteric and deferens duct arteries indirectly by means of its deferens duct branch. (Folia Morphol 2010; 69, 4: 225-231

The plantaris muscle — rare relations to the neurovascular bundle in the popliteal fossa

The plantaris muscle is characterised by morphological variability, both for origin and insertion, and may sometimes be absent. Its strength allows the ligament to be used for reconstruction of other tendons and ligaments. This report presents the rare placements and course of the plantaris muscle in relation to the neurovascular bundle. In this case, the hypertrophy of this muscle might cause pressure on the tibial nerve and produce symptoms similar to sciatica

Correlation between morphometry of the suprascapular notch and anthropometric measurements of the scapula

The concept of the study was to find the correlation between the morphometry of the suprascapular notch and basic anthropometric measurements of the human scapula. The measurements of the human scapulae included: morphological length and width, maximal width and length projection of scapular spine, length of acromion, and maximal length of the coracoid process. The glenoid cavity was measured in two perpendicular directions to evaluate its width and length. The width-length scapular and glenoid cavity indexes were calculated for every bone. In addition to standard anthropometric measurements two other measurements were defined and evaluated for every suprascapular notch: maximal depth (MD) and superior transverse diameter (STD). The superior transverse suprascapular ligament was completely ossified in 7% of cases. Ten (11.6%) scapulae had a discrete notch. In the studied material, in 21 (24.4%) scapulae the MD was longer than the STD. Two (2.3%) scapulae had equal maximal depth and superior transverse diameter. In 47 (57.7%) scapulae the superior transverse diameter was longer than the maximal depth. There was no statistically significant difference between anthropometric measurements in the group with higher MD and the group with higher STD. The maximal depth of the suprascapular notch negatively correlated with the scapular width-length index. The maximal depth of the scapular notch correlated with the morphological length of the scapulae. (Folia Morphol 2011; 70, 2: 109–115