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Chest wall deformities detected in lung radiographs during routine health screening in young healthy male athletes training for police services duty

Objectives: Chest wall deformities are a series of abnormalities that extend from the sternum to the vertebral column and often cause aesthetic and psychological problems. Most chest wall deformities are caused by cartilaginous malformations such as pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed description of chest wall abnormalities in young male athletes with no existing complaints. Methods: A comprehensive health assessment was performed on 1600 young men at the Erzincan Police Vocational Training Centre in March 2023. The evaluation included chest radiographs, pulmonary function tests, electrocardiography, transthoracic echocardiography, haemogram, biochemical test findings and comorbidities. Haller index scale was used to grade the severity of pectus deformity in individuals with pectus excavatum. Results: Pectus excavatum deformity was detected in 16 individuals (1%). Pectus carinatum was detected in only one individual (0.06%). Only one of the patients with chest wall deformity had an abnormal pulmonary function test, especially in the form of a minor obstructive pattern. In addition, 11 individuals in this group had associated electrocardiographic abnormalities. These abnormalities did not cause significant clinical findings. Conclusion: Our study showed that the prevalence of chest wall deformities in physically active young men is comparable to the prevalence of chest wall deformities reported for the general population in the available literature. Furthermore, this study demonstrated a higher prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormalities in subjects with chest wall deformities.

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Anatomical evaluation of sacrum in dry bones

Objectives: The sacrum is a critical bone in various clinical procedures, including caudal epidural blocks, iliosacral screw placements, fetal growth assessment, and sacral nerve stimulation. This study aims to investigate the morphometry and variational morphology of the anatomical formations in the pelvis and dorsal surface of the sacrum. Methods: Morphometric and morphological characteristics of 30 sacral bones of unknown age and sex were examined. Measurements were made using a digital caliper. Results: The mean height of the sacrum was 106.67±10.16 mm, while their mean width was 103.60±6.78 mm. The morphometric analysis revealed that the mean length of the sacral hiatus was 18.51±7.44 mm, and the distance between the sacral cornua was 11.80±2.46 mm. The sacral hiatus was most commonly observed in an inverted ‘U’ shape, while the least common form was bifid. The sacral canal typically displayed a V-shaped morphology. It was determined that the apex of the sacral hiatus most frequently started at the S4 level (80%) compared to the sacral vertebra, and the base of the sacral hiatus mostly ended at the S5 level (93.4%). Conclusion: Morphometry of the sacrum is essential in guiding clinicians, especially in interventions such as anesthesia and orthopedics. Discrepancies in parameter studies conducted in some countries suggest the significance of ethnic factors. Therefore, it is essential for the number of studies to increase and for physicians to follow the parameters of their society regarding the effectiveness of the treatments.

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Bibliometric analysis of the most cited one hundred anatomy articles in the 100th year of the Turkish Republic

Objectives: Bibliometric studies are the analysis of publications in the literature using statistical methods. In order to show the trending topics in the field of anatomy, the 100 most cited articles in the field of anatomy written by researchers from Turkey were analyzed using data obtained from Web of Science (WoS). Methods: The data included in the study were collected by typing the word “anatomy” in the “all fields” category in the Web of Science database. Articles written by researchers from Turkey between 1980 and September 10, 2023 were included in the study. The data were transferred to the VOSviewer 1.6.19 program for detailed analysis and analyzes were performed. Results: Of the 100 most cited articles, 33 were cadaveric studies, 25 were radiologic studies, 13 were clinical studies, 6 were animal experiments, 6 were morphometry studies, 4 were dry bone, 3 were fetal cadavers, 2 were editorial comments and 2 were anatomy education. Six articles were related to veterinary anatomy. Keyword analysis, author citatioya dan analysis, co-authorship analysis, country citation analysis, and institution citation analysis were also performed. Conclusion: The bibliographic analysis of the 100 articles in our study will help anatomists to understand which topics they should study in their future anatomy studies.

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Anatomical features of venous and arterial corona mortis in fresh cadavers in the Turkish population and anatomical landmarks to be used during surgical procedures

Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the topographic position of the corona mortis on fresh cadavers and also to determine anatomical landmarks that will facilitate surgeons to consider to this structure during operations by clarifying the relationship of the corona mortis with the surrounding anatomical structures. Methods: A total of 50 autopsy cases of 31 men and 19 women, all examined within 24 hours post-mortem, were evaluated bilaterally for the presence of corona mortis. When identified, the vascular characteristics (arterial/venous) of the corona mortis were documented. The topographic position of the corona mortis was determined by measuring the distances to the pubic symphysis, promontory, obturator nerve and anterior superior iliac spine. The study also investigated whether some anthropometric measurements affect these distances. Results: Out of the 100 hemipelves examined, corona mortis were observed in 50 cases. Among these, 34% were arterial (n=17), and 66% were venous (n=33). Anastomoses were identified in the hemipelves of 22 women and 28 men, with no significant gender difference (p>0.05). The average distances to anatomical landmarks were as follows: 5.43 cm to the pubic symphysis, 1.77 cm to the obturator nerve, 9.87 cm to the promontory, and 10.56 cm to the anterior superior iliac spine. Conclusion: Corona mortis poses a significant risk in surgical procedures. Knowing the vascular anatomy of the pelvis is vital for gynecological, urological and orthopedic interventions, while investigating deaths caused by pelvic trauma is important for forensic practice. This anatomical study contributes to a better understanding of the complex and intricate pelvic structure.

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Morphometric description of the subfascial intermuscular adipose tissue of anterior compartment of the leg

Objectives: To describe the morphological characteristics of subfascial intermuscular adipose tissue (IMATS) in the anterior compartment of the leg, considering its developmental and functional relationship with the crural fascia. Methods: In twenty formalin-fixed cadaveric legs (13 males, 7 females), after removal of the skin and crural fascia, the IMATS was exposed and classified into four types according to its shape. Leg length was divided into eight regions. The length, width at the widest point, closest distances of the upper and lower ends to the intermalleolar line and the anterior margin of the tibia, as well as the thickness of the skin-subcutaneous tissue complex, limb and leg lengths were measured for IMATS. Results: The most common type of IMATS was the short-large type. The largest point of IMATS was located in zone 3 or 4, and this point was located in the two zones closest to the lower end of IMATS in 75% of cases. In all cases, one to three connecting vessels piercing the crural fascia (80% were in zones 2, 3 or 4) connected to the IMATS in a slightly lateral to medial oblique course of the IMATS from top to bottom. The IMATS was superficially located in the tendinous and muscular parts of the extensor digitorum longus and/or tibialis anterior muscles, loosely attached to the muscles and crural fascia, but not between the muscle fibers. Although the largest point (p=0.041) and the distance from the distal end to the anterior margin of the tibia were found to be greater in males (p=0.049), the gender difference disappeared when normalized for limb length. Conclusion: No data on IMATS morphometry could be found in the literature. A remarkable finding of the study, which is open to interpretation in terms of the function of the IMATS, is that the location of the IMATS overlaps with the crural fascia region, which is reported to be biomechanically stiffer in the transverse direction. Our data that a connecting vessel is always connected to the IMATS by a fixed spatial relationship strengthens the argument that the developmental history of both structures may intersect.

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Sonographic findings of COVID-19-related acute dacryoadenitis

Objectives: To evaluate the ability of grayscale sonography and color Doppler sonography in determining the involvement of the lacrimal glands in coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on a total of 25 COVID-19 patients with symptoms of acute dacryoadenitis and 25 healthy participants. The study’s inclusion criteria encompassed pain, swelling, and discomfort in the superior temporal aspect of the upper eyelid and orbit, consistent with acute dacryoadenitis occurring within 30 days of a positive test for SARS-CoV-2. PCR testing yielded positive results for all patients. Inclusion criteria for healthy participants included asymptomatic orbit and upper lid, no prior trauma or surgery involving the orbit, no evidence of upper respiratory tract infection consistent with SARS-CoV-2 in the past 6 months, and no history of systemic inflammatory disorders. The evaluation of the lacrimal gland and periorbital adipose tissue involved gray-scale and color Doppler ultrasonography to assess echogenicity, homogeneity, vascularity and enlargement of the lacrimal gland. The patients involved in the study underwent orbital examination and US evaluations repeated at 3 weeks and 3 months. Results: The mean age of the patients were 41.5±12.2 years (range, 18 to 63 years), while for the healthy participants, it was 34.4±5.2 years (range, 18 to 47 years). Significant differences were observed in the echogenicity (p=0.025), homogeneity (p=0.018), and vascularity (p<0.001), size (p<0.001) of the lacrimal gland between healthy participants and COVID-19 patients exhibiting symptoms of acute dacryoadenitis. However, no difference was noted in the perilacrimal fat tissue changes between COVID-19 patients with symptoms of acute dacryoadenitis and the control group (p=0.054). Conclusion: Gray-scale and color Doppler ultrasonography demonstrates as a valuable radiologic technique for assessing the acute onset involvement of the lacrimal glands in COVID-19.

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