Biomedical subjects

Maciej Henneberg

Publications and source records attributed to Maciej Henneberg.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Anatomical study of the ankle with view to the anterior arthroscopic portals.

This article evaluates the risk of interference with the neurovascular structures in the four anterior ankle arthroscopic portals, described on each side of the extensor tendons: anteromedial, medial midline, anterocentral and anterolateral. Complications after ankle arthroscopies have been described in up to 17%, most being neurovascular. To quantify the neurovascular risks we dissected 68 cadaveric feet and evaluated the correlations between tendons, vessels and nerves. The mean distance between tibialis anterior and extensor hallucis longus and between extensor hallucis longus and extensor digitorum longus is 4 mm, but in 10-20% these tendons are in apposition or are overlapped. The tibialis anterior vascular bundle was absent in 11.8%, was located between the tibialis anterior and the extensor hallucis longus in 3% and between the extensor hallucis longus and the extensor digitorum longus in 64.7%. A peroneal vascular bundle or branches of the tibialis anterior vascular bundle were located lateral to the extensor digitorum longus/peroneus tertius tendon in 88.2%. Transverse vascular branches were identified in 41.2% over the medial side of the joint line and in 52.9% over the lateral side. The deep peroneal nerve was located between the extensor hallucis longus and the extensor digitorum longus tendons in 58.8%. The superficial peroneal nerve had branches located between the tibialis anterior and the extensor hallucis longus tendons in 2.9%, between the extensor hallucis longus and the extensor digitorum longus tendons in 23.5% and lateral to the extensor digitorum longus/peroneus tertius tendon in 32.4%. These results show that the anteromedial and medial midline portals are the safest. The anterolateral portal should be noted not only for the risks to the superficial peroneal nerve, but also to the peroneal vessels.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Does sexual dimorphism in facial soft tissue depths justify sex distinction in craniofacial identification?

Separation of male and female soft tissue depths into discrete groups for craniofacial identification implies that males and females differ enough from each other, with respect to this application, for this distinction to be useful. In this study, previously published soft tissue depth data were analyzed for sex separation. It was found that the variation within each sex was large while the variation between the sexes was small. Often the value of two standard deviations of the measurement for either sex was larger than the difference displayed between the means of each sex. Furthermore, opposite sex overlap in regions defined to be close to the male or female mean were found to be large and the amount of variance explained by sex was small (less than 6% on average). These results indicate that while male and female means at single craniofacial landmarks may differ slightly, and even at statistically significant levels, individual male and female soft tissue depths are often the same or very similar. On average, soft tissue depths of the face do display some sexual dimorphism but it is not marked and of little practical meaning for craniofacial identification where a single individual must be independently considered. Thus, there is little use in separate reporting of data for males and females and data should be combined to increase sample sizes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Anatomical variations in the branches of the human aortic arch: a recent study of a South Australian population.

Variations of the branches of the aortic arch are likely to occur as a result of the altered development of certain branchial arch arteries during the embryonic period of gestation. In the present investigation the pattern of branches of the aortic arch was studied in 81 cadavers from a recent South Australian population of European descent, who have migrated to (n = 38) or were born and lived in (n = 43) South Australia during the twentieth century. Two principal variations were noted in the present study. Firstly, in 6 cadavers, the left vertebral artery originated directly from the arch of the aorta, between the left common carotid and the left subclavian arteries. The 6 subjects were among the subgroup born in South Australia, giving an incidence of 13.95%, which is much higher than in previous reports. The overall incidence of 7.41%, when related to the whole group, is also higher than incidences reported in other populations. The presence of this variation suggests that in some individuals part of the aortic arch is formed from the left 7(th) inter-segmental artery. Secondly, none of the cadavers examined had the thyroidea ima artery, contrasting with previously reported incidences that varied between 4% and 10%. Since all 6 cadavers with the left vertebral artery variant were born in South Australia, it is suggested that environmental factors may have contributed to this variation. Significant environmental changes in South Australia around the turn of the twentieth century are discussed. This study represents the first systematic investigation of the branches of the aortic arch in a South Australian population and provides data relevant to the practice of medicine.

Aorta, Thoracic↗

PubMed2004

Clinical perspectives on secular trends of intervertebral foramen diameters in an industrialized European society.

Low back pain origins have been a matter of great controversy. While spinal stenosis is now radiologically traceable, the alteration of intervertebral foramen is less clear. The aim of this study was to assess "secular trends"-alterations occurring from one generation to the next-in osseous intervertebral foramina of the major vertebral segments in an industrialized society, and to discuss their possible clinical implication. The macerated "maximum intervertebral foramen width" and "intervertebral foramen height" of all major vertebral levels in 71 non-pathologic Swiss adult skeletons from the nineteenth and early twentieth century, with known individual age and sex and similar geographic and socio-economic background, were measured by sliding caliper at validated landmarks. A secular trend of the increase in "maximum intervertebral foramen width" is found for most levels, with females showing a more prominent alteration. Additionally, the non-pathologic "maximum intervertebral foramen width" does not change with respect to individual age, nor is a significant side difference detectable. "Intervertebral foramen height," hereby defined as the difference of the dorsal vertebral body height minus pedicle height, demonstrates for most levels, and either sex, an insignificant negative secular trend. Neither stature nor skeletal robustness vary significantly through time within this particular sample. The results of this study, despite obvious inadequacies of methods used, exclude secular narrowing of the "maximum intervertebral foramen width" as the only cause of radiculopathy or spinal stenosis. Furthermore, we found a mild insignificant decrease of the clinically more relevant "intervertebral foramen height." Nevertheless, the detected short-time variability of the bony intervertebral foramen, independent of individual stature, skeletal robustness or age, argues for an enhanced focus on the understanding of clinically relevant changes of spinal morphology from generation to generation.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Curvilinear, geometric and phylogenetic modeling of basicranial flexion: is it adaptive, is it constrained?

Prior work has shown that the degree of basicranial flexion among primates is determined by relative brain size, with anatomically modern humans possibly having a less flexed basicranium than expected for their relative brain size. Basicranial flexion has also been suggested to be adaptive in that it maintains a spheroid brain shape, thereby minimizing connections between different parts of the brain. In addition, it has been argued that the degree of flexion might be constrained such that increases in relative brain size beyond that seen in Australopithecus africanus were accommodated by mechanisms other than basicranial flexion. These hypotheses were evaluated by collating an extensive data set on basicranial flexion and relative brain size in primates and other mammals. The data were analyzed using standard least squares regression, geometric and curvilinear modeling, and phylogenetically independent contrasts (PICs). Geometric modeling does not support the hypothesis that flexion is an adaptation that facilitates enlargement of a spheroid brain. Whether humans have a less flexed basicranium than expected for their relative brain size depends on the phylogenetic vantage point from which it is evaluated. They are as flexed as expected for a descendant of the last common ancestor of the Paranthropus-Homo clade, but their degree of flexion cannot be predicted from the basal hominoid node, even if their relative brain size is specified. Humans undoubtedly occupy an unusual part of morphospace in terms of basicranial flexion and relative brain size, but this does not mean that their degree of flexion is or is not constrained. Curvilinear regression models and standard linear regression models describe the relationship between flexion and relative brain size equally well. Hypotheses that the degree of flexion is or is not constrained cannot be discriminated at present. Consideration of recently published ontogenetic data in the context of the interspecific data for adults suggests that much of the variance in basicranial flexion can still be explained as a mechanical consequence of brain enlargement relative to basicranial length.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2003

Comparative morphological study of the lingual papillae and their connective tissue cores of the koala.

The stereo structure of each lingual papilla of the koala has a similar structure to that of various other animal species: the koala has a lingual prominence (intermolar prominence) with larger filiform papillae. (A lingual prominence is a characteristic in herbivorous animals.) The external form and connective tissue core (CTC) of the filiform papillae of koalas consist of one large main process and several smaller accessory processes. (These are similar to carnivorous animals.) Fungiform CTC have a thick dome-like structure, with several taste buds on the top. There are three vallate papillae: one central midline and two laterally located vallate papillae. The central vallate papilla has a posterior pouch lined with ciliated and non-ciliated epithelial cells. Long conical papillae are distributed in the posterior lateral area where foliate papillae are distributed in many other animal species. (Finger-like papillae are seen in dog and cat instead of foliate papillae.) It may be suggested that the tongue of the koala evolved in a special environment in Australia. Even though it has still retained special features similar to those of carnivorous cats and dogs it has evolved to resemble the tongues of herbivorous animals.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Predicting nose projection and pronasale position in facial approximation: a test of published methods and proposal of new guidelines.

Many prediction guidelines exist in facial approximation for determining the soft-tissue features of the face, and the reliability of each is generally unknown. This study examines four published and commonly used soft-tissue prediction guidelines for estimating nose projection, two of which also estimate the position of the pronasale. The methods tested are those described by: 1) Gerasimov ([1971] The Face Finder; London: Hutchinson & Co.), using the distal third of the nasal bones and the nasal spine; 2) Krogman ([1962] The Human Skeleton in Forensic Medicine; Springfield: Charles C. Thomas), using the average soft-tissue depth at midphiltrum, plus three times the length of the nasal spine (and a variation of this technique: plus three times the distance of the tip of the nasal spine from the nasal aperture); 3) Prokopec and Ubelaker ([2002] Forensic Sci Commun 4:1-4), using the reflected profile line of the nasal aperture; and 4) George ([1987] J Forensic Sci 32:1305-1330), using a variation of the Goode method. Four identical hard-tissue tracings were made of 59 adult lateral head cephlograms (29 males, mean age 24, SD 10 years; 30 females, mean age 23, SD 5 years) on separate sheets of tracing paper. One soft-tissue tracing was also made for each radiograph. All tracings were marked with three identical reference points. Soft-tissue tracings were isolated from one of us (C.N.S.), who attempted under blind conditions to predict pronasale position and nose projection on the hard-tissue tracings, using the soft-tissue prediction guides above. Actual soft-tissue tracings were then compared to each of the predicted tracings, and differences in projection/pronasale position were measured. Results indicate that for nose projection, methods 3 and 4 performed well, while methods 1 and 2 performed poorly. Features which are most related to nose projection/pronasale are described in this paper, as are regression equations generated from these variables that predict pronasale/nose projection better than the traditional methods mentioned above. The results of this study are significant because they: 1) indicate that the popular facial approximation methods used to build the nose are inaccurate and produce incorrect nose anatomy; and 2) indicate that the new pronasale prediction methods developed here appear to have less error than traditional methods.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Predicting mouth width from inter-canine width--a 75% rule.

It has been suggested that inter-canine width plus 57% of the cumulative distance between the lateral aspect of the canines and the pupil centers can be used to estimate mouth width. Evidence also suggests that the distance between the medial irises approximates actual mouth width fairly well. However, these soft tissue prediction guidelines are limited because they rely on accurate medio-lateral positioning of the pupils within the orbits, for which no systematic empirical evidence appears to exist at this stage. It would, therefore, be more appropriate to use only known hard tissue landmarks in mouth width prediction. This study reports the results of using inter-canine width as a percentage of mouth width for its prediction. This method seems favorable in comparison to the other guidelines because it is as accurate, uses known hard tissue landmarks, and does not rely on assumptions concerning pupil location. Estimating mouth width by using the canines alone, therefore, seems the best guideline to use in facial approximation techniques, at least given knowledge existing at this stage.

Anthropometry↗

PubMed2002

Variation in soft-tissue thicknesses on the human face and their relation to craniometric dimensions.

The average thickness of soft tissues on parts of the face is known, but its variation has not been related to cranial morphology. To investigate this relationship, measurements of facial soft-tissue depths and craniometric dimensions were taken on adult, white Australian cadavers (17 male and 23 female). Significant correlations between many soft-tissue depths and craniometric dimensions were found, suggesting a relationship between the amount of soft tissue present on the face and the size of the underlying bony skeleton. Soft-tissue depths were highly positively correlated with each other; craniometric dimensions were correlated but to a lesser extent. Males had thicker soft tissues and larger craniometric dimensions than females; considerable overlap of ranges was also noted. Multiple regression analysis was used to produce equations predicting the soft-tissue depth at specified areas of the face from craniometric dimensions. A subsample of nine cadavers was examined for the effects of tissue embalming. Embalming caused significant initial increases in facial soft-tissue depths. Cadavers embalmed for less than 6 months had soft-tissue depths significantly greater than for fully embalmed cadavers. The evidence that facial soft-tissue thicknesses vary with craniofacial dimensions has implications for forensic identification, facial aesthetic surgery, and approximation of the facial features of extinct individuals.

Aged↗