The Measurement of Various Anatomical Structures and Assessment of Morphometric Development of Fetal Skull Base.

BACKGROUND: As the skull base has a complex anatomy, we underline the importance of anomalies for side asymmetry. It is useful to investigate relationship between anatomical structures for the surgical procedure orientations. Dural adherence, enlarged superior petrosal sinus, influence of neural crest cells, and cranial base ossification are among the factors in morphometric growth on skull base. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-five fetuses of an estimated gestational age ranging from 17 to 34 weeks were studied in the Anatomy Laboratory of Mersin University Medical Faculty. Craniotomy was made to each fetus and brain hemispheres were dissected. We put plates, passing from the external points of lateral and anterior-posterior borders of fetus heads that are perpendicular to each other. An analytical calculation was formulated for the angle of foraminae to the root of zygoma by using different formulations depending on their posterior or anterior location to the root of zygoma. Statistical method was based on correlation analysis, simple regression, independent 2 group t tests, SPSS20.0, and MedCalc 11.5 (MedicReS, New York, NY). RESULTS: Neither side dominance for the jugular foramen, nor the differences of foramen rotundum, spinosum, and ovale to anterior skull wall, root of zygoma, and to midline were found to be significant. CONCLUSION: There is a debate on asymmetry of foramina of the skull base. No certain consensus about the initiation time and the causes of asymmetry in the past was documented. Studies are to be encouraged to further enlighten pre-postnatal factors affecting the fetal skull base morphometrism.

The effect of trapidil and bevacizumab on tracheal anastomotic wound healing.

BACKGROUND: Although bevacizumab has deleterious effects on the healing of colonic anastomoses, trapidil improves wound healing of colonic and tracheal anastomoses. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the effects of bevacizumab and trapidil on wound healing after tracheal transection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 35 rats divided in 5 groups: bevacizumab (Group I, n = 7), trapidil (Group II, n = 7), trapidil + bevacizumab (Group III, n = 7), controls (Group IV, n = 7), and sham (Group V, n = 7). Anastomotic healing was assessed by measurement of bursting pressure and inflammation score at the anastomotic region on the seventh day. RESULTS: The bursting pressures of Group II, Group III, and Group V were significantly higher than controls (P = 0.001, P = 0.033, and P = 0.035, respectively). Fibrosis was significantly high in the sham group when compared with the other four groups (P = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Although bevacizumab seems to impair anastomotic healing, trapidil can be suggested to improve tracheal anastomoses.