Browsing by Author "Tubbs, R. Shane"

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Anatomy of Meckel's Cave and the Trigeminal Ganglion: Anatomical Landmarks for a Safer Approach To Them
(Turkish Neurosurgical Soc, 2012) Arslan, Mehmet; Deda, Haluk; Avci, Emel; Elhan, Alaittin; Tekdemir, Ibrahim; Tubbs, R. Shane; Baskaya, Mustafa Kemal
AIM: Surgical approaches to Meckel's cave (MC) are often technically difficult and sometimes associated with postoperative morbidity. The relationship of surgical landmarks to relevant anatomy is important. Therefore, we attempted to delineate quantitatively their anatomy and the relationships between MC and surrounding structures. MATERIAL and METHODS: With the aid of a surgical microscope, MC and its contents were studied in 15 formalin-fixed cadaver head specimens. Measurements were made and their relationships were observed. RESULTS: The distance from the zygomatic arch and the lateral end of the petrous ridge to MC was 26.5 and 34.4 mm, respectively. The distance from the arcuate eminence, the facial nerve hiatus, and the foramen spinosum to MC was 16.6, 12.8 and 7.46 mm respectively. The TG lay 5.81 mm posterior to the foramen ovale. The distance from the abducens, trochlear and oculomotor nerves to the trigeminal ganglion was 1.87, 5.53 and 6.57 mm respectively. The distance from the posterior and the anterior walls of the sigmoid sinus to the trigeminal porus was 43.6 and 33.1 mm respectively. The trigeminal porus was on average 7.19 mm from the anterior wall of the internal acoustic meatus. CONCLUSION: The anatomical landmarks as presented herein regarding MC may be used for a safer skull base approach to the region.
The Cervical Arteries: an Anatomical Study With Application To Avoid the Nerve Root and Spinal Cord Blood Supply
(Turkish Neurosurgical Soc, 2018) Arslan, Mehmet; Acar, Halil Ibrahim; Comert, Ayhan; Tubbs, R. Shane
AIM: Injury to the vascular supply to the cervical spinal cord can lead to the anterior spinal artery syndrome, which is often associated with transforaminal corticosteroid injections to the cervical foramina. The purpose of this cadaveric study was to examine the morphology of the cervical arteries and to emphasize their clinical importance. MATERIAL and METHODS: Five formalin-fixed human cadavers were used to determine the morphology of the radicular arteries from the vertebral, ascending and deep cervical arteries in the cervical foraminal region. RESULTS: The mean diameter of the vertebral arteries was 5.50 mm. The radicular arteries arose from the vertebral artery originating from its posterior aspect at each level and the C6 radicular artery was larger in diameter than others. Their diameters ranged from 0.75 mm to 1.02 mm. The mean diameter of the ascending cervical artery was 1.5 mm (range 1.21 to 1.80 mm). Its arising spinal branches were located at the C3-4 or C4-5 levels. The diameters of radicular branches arising from the ascending cervical artery ranged from 0.80 mm to 1.40 mm. The mean diameter of the deep cervical artery was 1.71 mm (range 1.3 to 2.1 mm) and was usually slightly larger than the ascending cervical arteries. These deep cervical radicular arteries always entered the C5-6, C6-7 and C7-T1 foramens and those of the radicular branches arising from the deep cervical artery ranged from 0.43 mm to 1.49 mm (mean, 1.08 mm). CONCLUSION: Understanding the vascular supply to the cervical spinal cord is important for preventing serious complications such as spinal cord ischemia.