Clinical anatomy : official journal of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists & the British Association of Clinical Anatomists
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The connective tissue attachments to the cervical spinal dura mater originating from the ligamentum nuchae (LN) and rectus capitis posterior minor (RCPM) muscle were evaluated in 30 cadaveric spines. Magnetic resonance images (MRIs) were correlated with the attachments in four cadaveric specimens. ⋯ Our results indicate that: 1) the attachments between the LN and RCPM and the dura occur between vertebrae C1-C2 and the occipital bone and C1, respectively, and that they are substantial normal anatomic attachments, 2) attachments between the LN and RCPM are usually present, and 3) the attachments between the LN and dura mater can be identified on MRI. These latter attachments may play a role in neck pain, making their MRI appearance clinically important.
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The purpose of this study is to provide precise anatomical and statistical information about the number and location of lumbar sympathetic ganglia and the number and length of the related rami communicantes, and to consider the neurological pathway for nociception from the low back. Three-hundred ninety-three ganglia and 719 rami communicantes from 50 human cadavers were identified by gross dissection. ⋯ The lumbar sympathetic ganglia and rami communicantes were not distributed segmentally. The present results may assist in understanding the nociceptive pathway from the low back.
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Bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction caused by iatrogenic lesions of the inferior hypogastric plexus (IHP) are well known and commonly tolerated in pelvic surgery. Because the pelvic autonomic nerves are difficult to define and dissect in surgery, and their importance often ignored, we conducted a gross anatomic study of 90 adult and four fetal hemipelves. Using various non-surgical approaches, the anatomic relations and pathways of the IHP were dissected. ⋯ The posterior portion of the IHP supplied the rectum and the anterior portion of the urogenital organs; nerve fibers traveled directly from the IHP to the anterolateral wall of the rectum and to the inferolateral and posterolateral aspects of the urogenital organs. The autonomic supply from the IHP was supplemented by nerves accompanying the ureter and the arteries. An understanding of the location of the autonomic pelvic network, including important landmarks, should help prevent iatrogenic injury through the adoption of surgical techniques that reduce or prevent postoperative autonomic dysfunction.