The facial artery (FA) normally arises from the external carotid artery (ECA), just above the lingual artery, at the level of greater horn of hyoid bone in the carotid triangle. It then passes obliquely upwards beneath the posterior belly of digastric and stylohyoid muscles sheltered by the ramus of the mandible lying medial to the bone. Here it passes deep to the superficial part of the subman...

BACKGROUND The anterolateral thigh flap is known for variations of its vascular pedicle. This is a prospective intraoperative analysis of the vascular anatomy of the lateral thigh that focuses on clinically important variations that impact flap harvest. METHODS Eighty-nine consecutive anterolateral thigh flaps were harvested. A detailed intraoperative analysis was performed of the vasculature...

The sternalis muscle is an uncommon anatomic variation. We report a case of three unilateral recti sternalis muscles in a 60 year old male cadaver. All three muscles were slender and had a common origin from the right fourth sterno-chondral junction and partly from the lateral half of sternum. All three muscles continued up to the second costal cartilage, where they became inserted. The 3 muscl...

BACKGROUND The optimum number of microvascular anastomoses for safe free tissue transfer is controversial. Although the case for 2 venous anastomoses versus 1 anastomosis has been argued, the use of an additional arterial anastomosis has not been examined in detail. METHODS Twelve patients who underwent 2 arterial anastomoses for a free flap transfer were identified retrospectively from the m...

PURPOSE To compare the outcome following lateral plantar nerve release with or without calcaneal drilling for resistant plantar fasciitis. METHODS 30 women and 3 men aged 30 to 60 (mean, 45) years with resistant plantar fasciitis were randomised to undergo release of the first branch of the lateral plantar nerve with (group 1, n=18) or without (group 2, n=15) calcaneal drilling. RESULTS Pat...

This study examined Leonardo da Vinci's rule (i.e., the sum of the cross-sectional area of all tree branches above a branching point at any height is equal to the cross-sectional area of the trunk or the branch immediately below the branching point) using simulations based on two biomechanical models: the uniform stress and elastic similarity models. Model calculations of the daughter/mother ra...

Studies of the Populus tremuloides root system by Day (1944), Sandberg (1951) and Barnes (1959) have all shown lateral roots extending as much as 30 feet from tree base. These roots may branch extensively and sometimes exhibit an "undulating" growth habit. According to the above authors, suckers occur on the segments of these lateral roots which are closest to the soil surface. The objective of...

The ability of rapidly growing hyphae to generate new polarity axes that result in the formation of a branch represents one of the most important yet least understood aspects of fungal cell biology. Branching is central to the development of mycelial colonies and also appears to play a key role in fungal interactions with other organisms. This review presents a description of the two major patt...

The sural nerve is formed by the union of the medial sural cutaneous nerve, which is a branch of the main trunk (the tibial nerve), and the common fibular communicating branch of the lateral sural cutaneous nerve, which is a branch of the common fibular nerve. Anatomical variations in the formation of the sural nerve are common, although the topographical localization of this nerve is constant....

Fiberoptic imaging was performed in six decerebrate, tracheotomized cats to determine the effect of pharyngeal muscle activation on the pharyngeal airway. The fiberoptic scope was advanced through the rostral trachea into the pharynx. Computer-based planimetry was used to measure airway area and maximum anteroposterior and lateral diameters in the rostral oropharynx, velopharynx, and caudal oro...