Observation of the Relationship between the Shape of Skeletal Muscles and Their Nerve Distribution Patterns: A Transparent and Microanatomic Study

Abstract

A surgeon's thorough knowledge of the relationship between the shape and nerve distribution pattern of skeletal muscles is important in successful reinnervation and regeneration of these muscles. It might also be useful in the field of muscle transplantation.

Intramuscular innervations of lower leg skeletal muscles: applications in their clinical use in functional muscular transfer

“…Our investigation would provide new point to understand nerve distribution in human [31]. Nonetheless, although many efforts have been made to evaluate the nerve distribution in each muscle compartment, some muscles, such as the plantaris muscle, were not studied because of its small size and significant variation among the samples.…”

Analysis of the Intramuscular Innervation of the Lateral Pterygoid Muscle

“…There are three major methods for investigating the innervation course of muscles: anatomical dissection, computer-based threedimensional reconstruction, and staining with Sihler's method 28) .…”

“…However considering the nerves entering the muscle units, it is difficult to classify LPM into 2 independent muscles 4,6,[25][26][27] . Even sometimes the muscle shows the 1-head or 3-head pattern other than the classical 2-head pattern [28][29][30] . Moreover LPM was also reported to be composed of 5 to 6 independent functional musculo-aponeurotic layers according to findings of the nerve distribution 1) .…”

Sihler's whole mount nerve staining technique: a review

“…Peker et al (2001, 2003) were the first to investigate the innervation of the masticatory muscles in rabbits. This group also studied the intramuscular distribution of the nerves innervating the diaphragm and extraocular muscles in rabbits (Gozil et al 2002, Gulekon et al 2002, Turgut et al 2006), trunk muscles in rats (Calguner et al 2006), and limb and trunk muscles from the human fetal cadavers (Peker et al 2006, Gulekon et al 2007). Using Sihler's stained human fetal specimens, Peker et al (2006) investigated the relations between the shape of skeletal muscles and their nerve distribution patterns.…”

“…Sihler's stained organs, muscles, and other tissues include the larynx (Sanders et al 1993a,b, 1994, Mu et al 1994, Wu and Sanders 1994, Wu et al 1994, Mu and Sanders 2009), pharynx (Mu and Sanders 1996, 1998a, 2001, 2007), masticatory muscles (Ziccardi et al 1998, Ren and Mu 2005), and adult (Kumar et al 1998, Hua et al 1999, Lim et al 1999, 2004, Kierner et al 2001, Amirali et al 2007, Wong et al 2007) and fetal (Peker et al 2006, Gulekon et al 2007) limb and trunk muscles. In addition to motor innervation of skeletal muscles, the sensory nerve supply to the mucosa of the human larynx (Sanders and Mu 1998), pharynx (Mu and Sanders 2000a), and tongue (Zur et al 2004, Doty et al 2009) also has been studied using Sihler's stain.…”