Umbilicus and the rectus sheath: a study using human fetuses.

PURPOSE: The newborn umbilicus is provided by a fibrous ring after closure with a scar at the bottom. Since it is believed to be embedded in the linea alba, a specific connection with the rectus sheath was not yet hypothesized for the umbilicus. However, there are no or few descriptions about the development and growth. METHODS: We histologically examined 28 fetuses at 8-40 weeks: 6 fetuses at 8 weeks, 12 at 10-14 weeks and 10 at 31-40 weeks. RESULTS: An initial rectus sheath issued a linear mesenchymal condensation toward the umbilical cord at 10-14 weeks and, an established sheath provided a fibrous band around the umbilical cord at 31-40 weeks. The rectus sheath margins made an acute turn toward the skin at the superior and lateral rims of umbilicus and dispersed into a loose tissue of the cord. In contrast, the sheath margin changed its direction gradually to the superficial side at the inferior rim and inserted at a border between the skin epidermis and a mesothelium-like covering of the cord. The developing umbilical ring contained no or few elastic fibers. CONCLUSION: Instead of the underdeveloped linae alba, the rectus sheath seemed to be tightly connected with the umbilicus at birth. Rather than an expected elasticity, the rectus muscle contraction was likely to play a critical role in the closure after birth. Via the umbilical ring, the fetal rectus sheath also seemed to tightly connect with the skin at the inferior rim of umbilicus.

Mathematical modelling of the growth of human fetus anatomical structures.

The goal of this study was to present a procedure that would enable mathematical analysis of the increase of linear sizes of human anatomical structures, estimate mathematical model parameters and evaluate their adequacy. Section material consisted of 67 foetuses-rectus abdominis muscle and 75 foetuses- biceps femoris muscle. The following methods were incorporated to the study: preparation and anthropologic methods, image digital acquisition, Image J computer system measurements and statistical analysis method. We used an anthropologic method based on age determination with the use of crown-rump length-CRL (V-TUB) by Scammon and Calkins. The choice of mathematical function should be based on a real course of the curve presenting growth of anatomical structure linear size Ύ in subsequent weeks t of pregnancy. Size changes can be described with a segmental-linear model or one-function model with accuracy adequate enough for clinical purposes. The interdependence of size-age is described with many functions. However, the following functions are most often considered: linear, polynomial, spline, logarithmic, power, exponential, power-exponential, log-logistic I and II, Gompertz's I and II and von Bertalanffy's function. With the use of the procedures described above, mathematical models parameters were assessed for V-PL (the total length of body) and CRL body length increases, rectus abdominis total length h, its segments hI, hII, hIII, hIV, as well as biceps femoris length and width of long head (LHL and LHW) and of short head (SHL and SHW). The best adjustments to measurement results were observed in the exponential and Gompertz's models.

Muscle patterning in mouse and human abdominal wall development and omphalocele specimens of humans.

Human omphalocele is a congenital defect of the abdominal wall in which the secondary abdominal wall structures (muscle and connective tissue) in an area centered around the umbilicus are replaced by a translucent membranous layer of tissue. Histological examination of omphalocele development and moreover the staging of normal human abdominal wall development has never been described. We hypothesized that omphalocele is the result of an arrest in the secondary abdominal wall development and predicted that we would observe delays in myoblast maturation and an arrest in secondary abdominal wall development. To look for evidence in support of our hypothesis, we performed a histological analysis of normal human abdominal wall development and compared this to mouse. We also conducted the first histological analysis of two human specimens with omphalocele. In these two omphalocele specimens, secondary abdominal wall development appears to have undergone an arrest around Carnegie Stage 19. In both specimens disruptions in the unidirectional orientation of myofibers were observed in the external and internal obliques, and rectus abdominis but not in the transversus abdominis. These latter findings support a model of normal abdominal wall development in which positional information instructs the orientation of myoblasts as they organize into individual muscle groups.

Development of the rectus abdominis and its sheath in the human fetus.

PURPOSE: Although the rectus abdominis and its sheath are well known structures, their development in the human fetus is poorly understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined rectus abdominis and sheath development in semiserial horizontal sections of 18 fetuses at 5-9 weeks of gestation. RESULTS: Rectus muscle differentiation was found to commence above the umbilicus at 6 weeks and extend inferiorly. Until closure of the anterior chest wall via fusion of the bilateral sternal anlagen (at 7 weeks), the anterior rectal sheath originated from the external oblique and developed towards the medial margin of the rectus abdominis at all levels, including the supracostal part. After formation of the anterior sheath, fascial laminae from the internal oblique and transversus abdominis contributed to formation of the posterior rectus sheath. However, the posterior sheath was absent along the supracostal part of the rectus abdominis, as the transversus muscle fibers reached the sternum or the midline area. Therefore, it appeared that resolution of the physiological umbilical hernia (8-9 weeks) as well as chest wall closure was not required for development of the rectus abdominis and its sheath. Conversely, in the inferior part of the two largest fetal specimens, after resolution of the hernia, the posterior sheath underwent secondary disappearance, possibly due to changes in mechanical stress. CONCLUSION: Upward extension of the rectus abdominis suddenly stopped at the margin of the inferiorly developing pectoralis major without facing the external intercostalis. The rectus thoracis, if present, might correspond to the pectoralis.

Why there are two rows of deep inferior epigastric artery perforators despite variability in the number of deep inferior epigastric artery trunks: An anatomical and embryological argument.

The deep inferior epigastric artery (DIEA) distributes musculocutaneous perforators in a uniform pattern that comprises "medial row" versus "lateral row" perforators, with these two rows having anatomical and functional differences. This pattern of two perforator rows is distributed from the DIEA regardless of the number of major DIEA trunks, with there variably being one to four major trunks. As such, a single DIEA trunk will still distribute two perforator rows, as will four major DIEA trunks. What remains to be answered is how such an anatomical fact may come to be? The answer probably lies in the anatomy and embryology of the rectus abdominis muscle itself. With two muscle heads to each hemiabdominal rectus abdominis muscle present from early in its development, it is highly likely that each head of rectus abdominis muscle draws its own blood supply from its source DIEA pedicle, one "perforator row" for each head, regardless of DIEA branching pattern from which these rows are drawn, thus providing an embryological and anatomical basis for the observation of two uniform perforator rows.

Immunohistochemical analysis of bFGF, TGF-beta1 and catalase in rectus abdominis muscle from cattle foetuses at 180 and 260 days post-conception.

The potential for muscle growth depends on myoblast proliferation, which occurs essentially during the first two thirds of the foetal period in cattle. Thereafter, myofibres acquire their contractile and metabolic properties. Proliferation is regulated by molecular growth factors and by the tissue oxidative activity. The aim of this study was the quantification by immunochemistry of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1) and also of enzyme catalase (CAT) activity in rectus abdominis muscle. Samples were collected from cattle foetuses of different growth potential at 180 and 260 days post-conception (dpc). One major conclusion from this work is that protein contents of the muscle tissue bFGF and, to a lower extent, CAT activity decreased with increasing age during the foetal life. No differences were found between the different genotypes of cattle. However, the CAT to bFGF ratio tended to be lower in fast-growing cattle and increased with foetal age. TGF-beta1 did not change with age and was localised mostly at the vascular bed. CAT was detected in smooth and rough reticulum in striated muscles at 180dpc, and additionally in mitochondria at 260dpc. In conclusion, the balance between intracellular growth factors (bFGF and TGF-beta1) and the activity of antioxidant enzyme CAT may participate in the regulation of the transition from myoblast proliferation to differentiation. Thus, increased ratio of CAT to bFGF might be a good index indicating initiation of muscle maturation in cattle foetus prior to birth.