In conclusion, the rat primary motor cortex appears to be organized into irregularly shaped patches of cortex devoted to particular movements. The location of major subdivisions such as the forelimb or hindlimb areas is somatotopic and is consistent from animal to animal, but the internal organization of the pattern of movements represented within major subdivisions varies significantly between animals. The motor cortex includes both agranular primary motor cortex (AgL) and, in addition, a significant amount of the bordering granular somatic sensory cortex (Gr(SI)), as well as the rostral portion of the taste sensory insular or claustrocortex (Cl). The rat frontal cortex also contains a second, rostral motor representation of the forelimb, trunk and hindlimb, which is somatotopically organized and may be the rat's supplementary motor area. Both of these motor representations give rise to direct corticospinal projections, some of which may make monosynaptic connections with cervical enlargement motoneurons. Medial to the primary motor cortex, in cytoarchitectonic field AgM, is what appears to be part of the rat's frontal eye fields, a region which also includes the vibrissae motor representation. The somatic motor cortical output organization pattern in the rat is remarkably similar to that seen in the primate, whose primary, supplementary and frontal eye field cortical motor regions have been extensively studied.

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Surgical control of severe epistaxis is usually reserved for cases refractory to more conservative techniques. We present our experience with intraoral ligation of the maxillary artery as it courses through the buccal fat pad before it enters the pterygopalatine fossa and branches posterior to the maxilla. This technique has been found useful in the control of nasal hemorrhage as well as an adjunct to other surgical procedures, such as removal of benign and malignant neoplasms involving the maxilla and paranasal sinuses. This technique was used for ligation of the maxillary artery in 20 patients. The artery was readily identified in some cases, but required more extensive dissection in others; therefore, an anatomic study in 18 preserved and fresh cadaver specimens was undertaken to investigate the variability of the maxillary artery in the region of the buccal fat pad. There appeared to be significant variation in the distance from the buccal mucosal incision site, as well as variation in the relationship to the pterygoid muscles. This relationship to the pterygoids explains the occasional difficulty in locating the artery for ligation. This technique represents a reasonable alternative to the more traditional transantral approach to ligation of the maxillary artery, as long as the surgeon understands the anatomy of the region, its variations, and where the artery may be located if not immediately apparent. No major complications have been experienced.

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