Body Donation after Death: The Mental Setup of Educated People.

INTRODUCTION: Without dissection of cadavers teaching and learning of anatomy is nearly difficult; there remains a gap between the practical knowledge and the gathered theoretical knowledge. But there is a scarcity in the availability of the donated bodies for the sake of medical education. On the other hand a large number of people in our country are in waiting list for organ transplantation which could be overcome by deceased organ donation. AIM: Aim of the study was to evaluate the awareness regarding body donation after death. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students, engineering students and doctors in Indian population. Total 300 participants were answered the questionnaire providing information about the knowledge and attitude towards body and organ donation. RESULT: 46.33% of entire study group had strongly positive attitude about cadaveric organ donation and 17% had no idea about this. 18% of total participants were unwilling for body donation after death. CONCLUSION: The present study has been done elaborately to find out the different barriers for body or organ donation. It is clear from the study that though there is high level of awareness, nobody has filled up the pledge form till now. It indicates that there is a gap between the knowledge and motivation for organ and body donation after death which has to be overcome by proper guidance and education. Media and other voluntary organisations could take an important role for this purpose.

A cadaveric study of bilateral configuration of posterior bifurcation of posterior communicating artery in Indian population.

INTRODUCTION: Various studies have been done regarding variations of circle of Willis, but few literatures are available about the detail configurations on Indian population. Posterior communicating artery is the main collateral channel between the vertebrobasilar and carotid system. It may act as a main source of blood flow via posterior cerebral artery if fetal configuration is present. Aim of the study is to see the bilateral configurations to compare the blood supply of both cerebral hemispheres via posterior cerebral artery in human cadavers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty six formalin fixed brains were used for study. The specimens were classified into 3 types and 21 subtypes according to the configuration of the vessel of both hemispheres. As hemodynamic balance is dependent on the calibre of the vessel, the diameter of the arteries were also taken into consideration. Pearson's correlation had been done. RESULT: In present study type I is 57.2%, type II is 37.5% and type III is 5.4%. Incidence of unilateral fetal type posterior cerebral artery is in high percentage (33.9%). Greatest diameter of posterior communicating artery is 3.8mm on right and 3.6mm on left side. Significant correlations also have been found between arterial segments of different types. CONCLUSION: It is expected that the study will help to enrich the knowledge about the arterial predominance of origin of posterior cerebral artery of both cerebral hemispheres in normal or variant cases and its effect on perfusion images.

A glimpse towards the vestigiality and fate of human vermiform appendix-a histomorphometric study.

INTRODUCTION: The vermiform appendix in human is considered to be a vestigial organ by most of the authors. Absence of appendix is already reported in Indian population. Whether the human appendix is performing any function is debatable but when present it can create trouble. So if there is no appendix we can escape the ill-effects of the organ. With this hope the study has been done to see whether the appendix is really going to be rudimentary or absent or not. Marerials and Methods: Length, external diameter, number of lymphoid follicles, maximum diameter of the follicle or submucous coat, thickening of the muscle coat and seromucosal thickening of freshly removed appendix from human cadavers were seen. After fixation in 10% formal saline tissues were stained with haematoxylin-eosin stain and photographs were taken. The results had been tabulated and statistically correlated. RESULT: The parameters like number of lymphoid follicles, length and diameter all are changed as per the age advancement which is strictly indicating some functional activities of the organ which is against the idea of vestigiality of the appendix. CONCLUSION: Human appendix cannot be called a vestigial organ unless the functional inactivity is proved. Lymphoid changes which occur after birth to provide the gut immunity is needed to be proved by further studies. There might be incidental absence or rudimentary appendix in human body, but that does not indicate that we would not have any appendix in future.

Morphological study of the attachment of sternocleidomastoid muscle.

INTRODUCTION: The sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle is a major muscle of the neck. Classically, this muscle is attached below the sternum and clavicle, although the mode of attachment might vary. As the SCM is related to numerous important neurovascular structures, its variable anatomy is clinically relevant, particularly for neck surgeries. A cadaveric study was performed to establish the variations present in the mode of attachment of the SCM muscle in an Indian population. METHODS: We studied the variations in the attachment of the SCM muscle during the dissection of 18 cadavers for undergraduate teaching in two medical colleges in West Bengal, India. RESULTS: Variations in the attachment of the SCM muscle were found in 5 (27.8%) specimens. Of these five specimens, three had unilateral variations and two had bilateral variations. In each specimen, the modes of presentation of the SCM and its fusion with the major bulk were also different. CONCLUSION: In this study, we found variations in the attachment of the SCM muscle in more than a quarter of the specimens dissected. Surgeons should bear in mind such variations when performing neck surgeries.

Small Intestinal Gangrene Complicating Term Pregnancy: A Case Report.

Segmental gut gangrene is a very rare presentation in pregnancy. Gut obstruction (bands and adhesions) and vascular diseases (embolism, thrombosis, vasculitis and thrombophilia) are the usual causes of gut gangrene. In this report, we present a rare case where lower uterine cesarean section was done for fetal distress in an elderly primigravida with term size pregnancy and idiopathic segmental small gut gangrene was identified.