Considered an absolute unchanging truth, and not research-led, human anatomy has been subject to a steady decline in course hours and funding. However, this is a misconstruction, as anatomy plays an important role in the clinical and surgical field, with the need of evidencebased data, more so now than ever. Research in anatomy not only establishes an evolutionary and functional database with variability between populations, sex, and age, but develops the tools needed for patient safety, development of prostheses, technology and surgical materials, improves interpretation of imaging studies, and provides evidence of clinical and anatomical implications. Evidence-based education is an exponentially growing field in anatomical sciences, providing the best evidence for technological and pedagogical strategies integrated in the classroom and laboratory. The gold-standard cadaveric dissections are currently only one of the wide range of educational resources available, with imaging studies and clinical scenarios playing an important role. Anatomy research needs to be continued, evolving with the generations the availability of new resources and the demands of the field. This review breaks down the available data, recommendations, and guidelines, as well as the importance behind the continuing research in anatomical sciences.
This article has been peer reviewed and published immediately upon acceptance. It is an open access article, which means that it can be downloaded, printed, and distributed freely, provided the work is properly cited. Articles in "Folia Morphologica" are listed in PubMed.
Anatomy has historically been considered a static science, not research‐lead. Cadaveric anatomy provided an evidence for a more precise anatomy teaching, however, small samples were used for absolute truths. Preservation techniques allowed to expand this, yet, research was limited to descriptive and comparative studies. As anatomy teaching evolved from descriptive, to clinically oriented, to evidence‐based, and having a growing role in other sciences, it caused an exponential growth in its’ publications. Anatomical research aided to establish evolutionary and functional databases of variability between populations, sex, and age. However, it’s most important contribution is currently oriented towards patient safety, development of prostheses, technology and surgical materials, improvement of imaging interpretation, and provide evidence of clinical and anatomical implications. Several studies have reported an important percentage of mala praxis and surgical errors can be attributed to a lack of anatomical understanding of the region, consideration of anatomical variations, and alterations due to inflammation, continuing a need for anatomical research. It is important to note, anatomy journals and publications have changed over time. The longest running journals focus on basic anatomy regarding structure, function, development, and evolution, while the last 3 to 4 decades have birthed journals with an anatomy oriented towards the clinical and surgical applications, with the most exponential growth in education. Anatomical education is a growing field. New strategies have been implemented over the years to improve students’ learning of anatomy. There have been important technological advancements, providing educators with new teaching tools, both in the classroom and laboratory. Problem‐solving and computer‐based learning. Students’ interest increased, and learning became purposeful. Educational research has not only focused on evaluating the ability for students to learn new information, ease of the technique, and retention of the information, but also the perception of the technique or tool. The lack of bodies available for dissection, rising costs of laboratories, and the cut down of anatomy course hours, have open a wide range of resources for learning anatomy, many made available for free in online platforms. Technology‐assisted learning is a powerful tool, when purposefully designed, peer‐evaluated, and integrated to support interpersonal interactions, teamwork, and communication skills. An over‐use should be avoided, to truly adhere to the pedagogic objectives. There is a need for evidence‐based education. Teaching should be balanced with tools such as imaging, clinical cases, three‐dimensional printing, virtual and augmented reality, interactive holograms, and others. There is no doubt the millennial generation have emerged technological advancements into their lives and culture, and education must continue to adapt with the demands of new generations. Anatomical and educational research must be performed pur...
population. Variants have been widely studied in different populations, with a general prevalence between 5% and 35% however, data in Latino population is limited. The purpose of our study was to determine the prevalence of variants in the ramification of the aortic arch in our populationMaterials and methodsA retrospective, observational, comparative and transversal study was performed. A sample size calculation was made, with a result of 202 individuals. Using computed tomography angiography (CTA), the number of arteries that originated within the limits of the aortic arch was quantified; the branching pattern, the most cranial vertebral level of the aortic arch, luminal diameters of the proximal, middle, and distal segments were recorded. The diameter of each branch originated in the arch of the aorta was also evaluated.ResultsA total of 220 individuals were sampled, of which 52% (n 114) were men. The mean age was 55 years. The classical branching was present in 77.7%, followed by a common carotid trunk and left subclavian pattern (13.6%), the classic branching adding the left vertebral artery (7.3%), and others (1.5%). Highest vertebral was T3 in 32.3%, between T2–T3 in 26.8%, and between T3–T4 in 23.2%. Mean luminal diameter were 92.10±12.35, 76.75±10.32, and 73.85±12.27mm2 in the proximal, middle, and distal segments, respectively. Statistical differences were found between men and women in the middle and distal portions.ConclusionOur population showed an anatomical variation of the typical branching pattern of the aortic arch in 22.3% (n 49). The most cranial point of the aortic arch is found between T2 and T4 in 82.3% of the cases.Support or Funding InformationNoneThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
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