Background Contention exists amongst anatomists, clinicians and surgeons about how much anatomical knowledge medical students need, although what is taught should be aligned with current surgical practice. The aim of this study was to explore the scope of recent advances in applied anatomy as highlighted in the ANZ Journal of Surgery in each of the surgical specialties. Methods The 2018 volume of the ANZ Journal of Surgery was narrowed to 254 articles by applying the search term ‘anatomy’. The main topic was extracted from each paper. The content of the paper was assessed for ‘novel description’ or ‘novel application’ of anatomical knowledge and classified accordingly. Results Most papers with an anatomical focus were from general surgery, which focused on surgical techniques, outcomes and management. Vascular surgery had the highest percentage of papers with a novel description and application of anatomy. Although cardiothoracic and paediatric surgery had no papers with a novel description of anatomy, novel applications of anatomy were a focus in each speciality. Conclusion The trend towards novel applications of anatomical knowledge in all surgical specialties should encourage medical schools to shape their anatomy curricula in tandem with such advances as they evolve. The high proportion of novel applications and descriptions of anatomy in general surgery indicates continued growth as a benchmark of anatomical understanding. Vascular surgery's proportion of novel application and description of anatomy may change the way students will learn vascular anatomy to incorporate endovascular, radiologically based approaches.
Merkel cell carcinoma of the skin is a rare but aggressive malignancy, which predominantly affects older adults with fair skin. Isolated limb infusion (ILI) using melphalan and actinomycin D was first developed as a minimally invasive treatment option to treat unresectable metastatic melanoma confined to the limb. We report on a 62-year-old male with in-transit metastases (ITMs) treated with ILI to highlight the ongoing role this treatment has when all other therapies have been exhausted. At presentation, the patient had widespread ITMs in the right leg. Positron emission tomography scan demonstrated recurrent disease in the thigh and pelvis, and it was decided to treat the patient with ILI. The patient progressed well in the immediate post-operative period. The patient was able to mobilize from Day 6 post-ILI and was discharged on Day 10. There was an immediate clinical response seen in the lesions, with necrosis developing in the larger lesions.
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