Morphology of the temporal canal and postglenoid foramen with reference to the size of the jugular foramen in man and selected species of animals

The jugular foramen and postglenoid foramen are the main venous foramina of the skull of placental mammals. Their mutual relations are closely related to the development of the internal and external jugular vein, depending on the given kind. On the basis of measuring studies, it was decided to investigate the relations of the size of these foramina and to quantitatively determine which of them prevails. The studies were performed with macerated human and animal skulls. Altogether 100 skulls of human adults of both sexes, 100 of macaccas, 67 of bisons, 25 of mongrel dogs, 37 of foxes and 25 of rats were examined. The jugular foramen was the outlet of the sigmoid sinus or its equivalents and the postglenoid foramen — the petrosquamous or temporal canal. The jugular foramen was always singular and characterised by a small variability in the morphology, consisting only in the occurrence of the internal division or its lack. The postglenoid foramen, on the other hand, in the majority of the studied kinds was variable and numerous. The number of foramina ranged from 1 in man to 7–10 in bisons. In the course of measurements, it was found that the area of the postglenoid foramen in relation to the area of the jugular foramen is 0.87% in man, 24% in macaccas, 30.7% in dogs, 34.4% in foxes, 53.9% in rats and 248.5% in bisons. The results obtained indicate that in bisons the system of venous sinuses, connected with the postglenoid foramina, has a decisive significance for the drainage of the cranial cavity. In contrast, the postglenoid foramen in man has a marginal significance. The remaining kinds, whose skulls have been investigated, occupy on that score an intermediate position

Measurements of selected parameters of the guinea pig temporal bone

On the basis of dissections of 32 temporal bones of the guinea pig, measurements were taken of selected size parameters of the temporal bone. The measurements performed included external and internal size parameters of the bone. Among these were the following: the length, width and height of the external and internal auditory meatus, the length of the incudomallear complex, the height of the attic, the full length and height of the tympanic cavity and the parameters characterising the localisation of the external orifice of the facial nerve. The semicircular canals are relatively large, the lateral canal being the largest and the posterior the smallest. The length of the spiral canal of the cochlea does not exceed 16 mm. It is worth noting that both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the scala vestibuli and scala tympani only exceed 1 mm in the basal turn, decreasing significantly in the further turns to as little as decimal parts of a millimetre. This should be taken into account during all tests which require the introduction of examining instruments into the cochlear scala

The morphology and morphometry of the foramina of the greater wing of the human sphenoid bone

The greater wing of the human sphenoid bone is pierced by several foramina, which contain, as a main element, the venous anastomoses between the interior of the skull and the extracranial veins. Since data concerning these foramina are scarce in the literature, studies comprising the frequency of occurrence and morphology of the foramina of the greater wing of the human sphenoid bone were undertaken on 100 macerated skulls. We found that the foramen ovale is divided into 2 or 3 components in 4.5% of cases. Moreover, the borders of the foramen ovale in some skulls were irregular and rough. This may suggest, on radiological images, the presence of morbid changes, which might be the sole anatomical variation. Concurrent with the foramen ovale are accessory foramina. The foramen of Vesalius and the cavernous foramen were present in 17% and 33% of cases, respectively. The foramen of Vesalius was always single and the cavernous foramen also occurred in multiple form. The foramen spinosus and the foramen rotundum occurred as permanent elements of the skulls studied. The mean area of the foramina measured, excluding the foramen ovale, was not considerable, which may suggest that they play a minor role in the dynamics of blood circulation in the venous system of the head

The morphology and morphometry of the so-called "meningo-orbital foramen" in humans

The so-called meningo-orbital foramen creates an additional link between the orbit and the cranial cavity. This bony canal, not always present in the human skull, contains a branch from the middle meningeal artery, providing an accessory blood supply to the orbit. This vessel, like the foramen, is characterised by great variability. Although older textbooks of basic anatomy suggested that it was a rare occurrence, some current data indicate a more frequent incidence of this foramen. These discrepancies were verified in our research. 92 orbits were studied on 46 macerated human skulls (25 male and 21 female). Although the incidence of the meningo-orbital foramen in the material as a whole was 28%, the foramen in female skulls was observed to be 40.5%, compared to 18% in male skulls. This difference was statistically significant. A double foramen was encountered in three orbits, and in one orbit there was a triple foramen. This means that in the material as a whole multiple foramina were observed in 4% of cases. Two measurements were taken to determine the localisation of the meningo- orbital foramen. The minimal distance between the supraorbital notch (or foramen) and the meningo-orbital foramen was 35.0 (28–44) mm. The minimal distance from the cross-point of the entrance to the orbit and the fronto-zygomatic suture was (21.3-35.5) mm. This indicates that the meningo-orbital foramen can lie near an operating field in some surgical interventions through the lateral orbital wall

Analysis of operating field area in transpyramidal retrolabyrinthine approach to posterior cranial fossa

Retrolabyrinthine surgical access to the posterior and middle cranial fossa has a long history of use during the procedures aiming at the removal of small neoplasmatic changes located in the area of the internal auditory tube. A precise knowledge of the anatomical alterations of the temporal bone in the aspect of the retrolabyrinthine access to the posterior cranial fossa determines a successful otoneurosurgical endoscopy, which involves a relatively narrow area. Fortyfour cadaver temporal bones of both sexes were measured to obtain the dimensions of the surgical area limited by the sigmoid sinus, superior petrosal sinus and posterior labyrinth. The techniques of computer picture analysis were applied in the research. The mean value of the surface area of the figure limited by the sigmoid sinus, superior petrosal sinus and posterior semicircular canal was 175.9 mm² with no significant differences between sexes and sides. The maximal measured value was 356 mm², and the minimal was 84.3 mm². The size of the surgical area is characterised by large deviation range but was always sufficient to insert the endoscopic device and standard otosurgical instruments

Anatomical variants of the cervical vertebrae and the first thoracic vertebra in man

Anatomical variants of the cervical part of the human spine were investigated. Morphological variants were studied on 100 cervical vertebrae (37 female and 63 male). The greatest variability was demonstrated by the first cervical vertebra or atlas. The presence of some accessory bony arches embracing the vertebral artery was observed, namely the posterior bridge restraining the arcuate foramen (13.8%) and the lateral bridge restraining the transversovertical foramen (2%). Split posterior (3%) or anterior (1%) arches of the atlas were also encountered in this material. The superior articular face of the atlas divided into two parts was found in 47.8%. Variants of the remaining cervical vertebrae were limited only to the presence of a division of the transverse process foramina or their incomplete closure. Some of these anatomical variants may be a cause of certain clinical symptoms which have previously been described in the literature

The morphology of the hypoglossal canal and its size in relation to skull capacity in man and other mammal species

The hypoglossal canal is a permanent element of the human skull. As well as the hypoglossal nerve, the canal also contains the venous plexus and an arterial branch leading to the dura mater. It emerged from our earlier studies that the venous plexus is a dominant component in this canal. In the present work the morphology and dimensions of the canal were studied on macerated skulls of humans and animals (rhesus monkey, European bison, fox, dog, cat, hare and rat). The hypoglossal canal was found in all the human and animal skulls examined. In both humans and animals the hypoglossal canal was frequently duplicated. The double canal was found in 43% specimens of human skulls. However, no triple division of the hypoglossal canal was found in the material under investigation. It was found that the hypoglossal canal in man, rhesus monkey and European bison had significant dimensions and in fact correlated with the size of skull capacity. This suggests that the hypoglossal canal is an essential venous emissary in man, rhesus monkey and European bison, but that in the remaining species it is of secondary importance in this respect

Znaczenie szczepień przeciwko pneumokokom w redukcji ryzyka sercowo-naczyniowego pacjentów kardiologicznych. Opinia ekspertów Komisji Profilaktyki Polskiego Towarzystwa Kardiologicznego wsparta przez Polskie Towarzystwo Wakcynologiczne

Choroby układu oddechowego stały się w ostatnich latach czwartą najczęstszą przyczyną zgonów w Polsce. Infekcja dróg oddechowych, zwłaszcza zapalenie płuc, może prowadzić do zaostrzenia przewlekłej choroby układu krążenia. Streptococcus pneumoniae jest najczęstszym bakteryjnym patogenem powodującym pozaszpitalne zapalenie płuc. Pneumokoki są również najczęstszym patogenem wikłającym przebieg grypy. Zapalenie płuc, zwłaszcza inwazyjna choroba pneumokokowa, wiąże się z ryzykiem zgonu w przebiegu niewydolności oddechowej lub posocznicy, a także z pogorszeniem rokowania istniejącej choroby układu krążenia. Pomimo to zalecenia dotyczące szczepienia przeciwko pneumokokom nadal nie są dobrze ugruntowane w wytycznych kardiologicznych. Celem niniejszego dokumentu jest podsumowanie aktualnej wiedzy na temat znaczenia profilaktyki inwazyjnej choroby pneumokokowej w kontekście pacjentów z chorobami układu sercowo-naczyniowego

Surgical treatment of rectal cancer in Poland — a report from a prospective, multi-centre observational study PSSO_01 conducted under the auspices of the Polish Society of Surgical Oncology

Introduction. Since 2016, as part of the PSSO_01 multi-centre research project conducted under the auspices of the Polish Society of Surgical Oncology, clinical data on rectal cancer treatment have been collected. The objective of the study was to illustrate the state of early results of surgical treatment. Material and methods. The research project is multi-centre in nature. Data shall be collected electronically. The study protocol does not impose or suggest any course of procedure. It only systematizes the way data are collected for scientific purposes. The analysis of early results of surgical treatment was compared with the results of population studies from other European countries (Netherlands, Belgium). Results. By the end of June 2018, 736 patients were registered in the study. In 399 (54.2%) an anterior resection was performed. More than half of patients undergoing subsequent surgical treatment (54.2%) receive neoadjuvant treatment, with the percentage of patients undergoing radiotherapy or radiochemical treatment for lower rectal cancer being about 70%. Most patients (96%) are operated in elective procedure. The percentage of laparoscopic surgeries is low (8.6%). Postoperative complications are observed in 21.1% of patients. Severe complications (grades III–V according to Clavien-Dindo classification) occur in 7.6% of patients undergoing surgery. Postoperative mortality is 1.1%. Discussion. Although the project does not have the character of a registry and does not allow for drawing wider conclusions concerning the compliance with the standards of qualification for neoadjuvant treatment, the important information is that more than half of rectal cancer patients receive preoperative treatment, and the percentage of severe postoperative complications does not exceed 10%. Conclusions. The results of the PSSO_01 project are representative and reflect the actual situation concerning surgical treatment of rectal cancer patients in Poland

Age-dependent determinants of infectious complications profile in children and adults after hematopoietic cell transplantation : lesson from the nationwide study

Incidence and outcome of microbiologically documented bacterial/viral infections and invasive fungal disease (IFD) in children and adults after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) were compared in 650 children and 3200 adults in multicenter cross-sectional nationwide study. Infections were diagnosed in 60.8% children and 35.0% adults, including respectively 69.1% and 63.5% allo-HCT, and 33.1% and 20.8% auto-HCT patients. The incidence of bacterial infections was higher in children (36.0% vs 27.6%; p  21 days were risk factors for death from infection. In conclusion, pediatric patients have 2.9-fold higher incidence and 2.5-fold better outcome of infections than adults after HCT