Clinical anatomy : official journal of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists & the British Association of Clinical Anatomists
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Comparative Study
Similarities and dissimilarities of the blood supplies of the human sciatic, tibial, and common peroneal nerves.
The aim was to investigate the arterial supply of the sciatic, tibial, and common peroneal nerves. Thirty-six lower limbs of 18 human fetuses were studied. The fetuses had been fixed in buffered formalin and the blood vessels injected with barium sulfate. ⋯ The sciatic and tibial nerves are supplied by numerous arterial branches of different origins, which provide for collateral circulation. In contrast, the common peroneal nerve is most frequently supplied only by one elongated longitudinal blood vessel, a branch of the popliteal artery. Such a vascular arrangement may make the common peroneal nerve less resistant to stretching and compression.
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The ganglion impar is often overlooked as a component of the sympathetic nervous system. Despite its obscurity, this ganglion provides a pathway for neurons by accommodating postganglionic sympathetics, visceral afferents, and somatic fibers traveling to and from the pelvis. ⋯ The aim of this review was to provide a better understanding of the anatomy of ganglion impar, accounting for variation in size, shape, and location. In addition, the clinical importance and treatment modalities associated with the ganglion impar are outlined.