Neeru Goyal

Computerized Morphometric Analysis of Human Femoral Articular Cartilage

Objective. Articular cartilage shows changes with age that are considered to be the most important factors in the development and progression of osteoarthritis. The studies on age changes in articular cartilage have been traditionally based on individual observations but this approach is limited by its subjectivity and bias, yielding considerable variability. So the present study was conducted to observe various age related changes in morphology of femoral articular cartilage using computerized morphometric analysis. Design. The articular cartilage specimens were divided into two groups according to age: group 1 (n = 16) below 40 years (16–40 years) and group 2 (n = 12) above 40 years (41–86 years) of age. 5 μm thick paraffin sections were stained with H&E and analyzed using Image Pro Express image analysis software for quantitative analysis of articular cartilage. Various parameters, that is, total thickness of the cartilage, area of lacunae in each zone, area of subchondral cavities, and number of chondrocytes per 10,000 μm2 area in each zone were measured. Results. Significant difference with age was found in the total thickness and area of lacunae in zone 3. Conclusions. Not much difference is observed in articular cartilage morphology with age. So ageing is not the only risk factor in development of osteoarthritis.

Variant communication of phrenic nerve in neck

PurposeVariations of the phrenic nerve gain importance in the context of subclavian vein cannulation, implanted venous access portals and supraclavicular nerve block for regional anaesthesia. Some of the variations of phrenic nerve are very common and may have implications even while performing very simple and routine procedures.MethodsDuring routine dissection in the Department of Anatomy, an anatomical variation was observed in the course of the phrenic nerve in an adult male cadaver.ResultsOn the right side, phrenic nerve in its early course in the neck, close to its origin was giving a communicating branch to the upper trunk of the brachial plexus. Further course of the phrenic nerve was typical. On the left side, no such communication between phrenic nerve and brachial plexus was observed.ConclusionsA thorough knowledge of the anatomical variations and standard anatomy of phrenic nerve is a necessity for the safe and efficient practice of regional anaesthesia.

An anatomical study of pterygoalar bar and its clinical relevance

Objectives: Pterygoalar ligament extends from the root of lateral pterygoid plate to the under surface of greater wing of sphenoid. The ligament may ossify partly or completely leading to the formation of bony bar. Complete or incomplete pterygoalar bar may act as an obstacle for approaching retro-and para-paharyngeal spaces for various surgical procedures. Methods: A total of 55 dried adult skulls and 20 sphenoid bones were observed for the presence of complete or incomplete ossification of the pterygoalar ligament. Results: Totally, 17 bones (22.67%) showed partial ossification of the pterygoalar ligament. Complete ossification was not observed in any of the cases. Bilateral incomplete pterygoalar bar was seen in six skulls. Unilateral incomplete pterygoalar bar was seen in 11 cases (5 left and 6 right sides). Conclusions: Knowledge of complete or partial ossification of the various ligaments in the region is important for anesthetists, surgeons and dentists. Being closely related to foramen ovale, such ossified bars of bone may cause entrapment neuropathy of mandibular nerve and its branches.

A Study of Changes in Morphology of Osteoarthritic Articular Cartilage Using Computerized Image Analysis

Histological studies on articular cartilage have been traditionally based on individual observations but this approach is limited by its subjectivity and bias, yielding considerable variability. So the present study was conducted to observe the various changes in the morphology of osteoarthritic femoral articular cartilage using computerized image analysis. The cartilage specimens were divided into two groups: group 1 () (46–81 years) consisted of OA specimens. Group 2 () (41–86 years) consisted of non-OA specimens. A 5 μm thick paraffin sections were stained with H&E staining and analyzed using Image-Pro Express image analysis software for quantitative analysis of articular cartilage. Various parameters, namely, total thickness of the cartilage, area of lacunae in each zone, area of subchondral cavities, and number of chondrocytes per 10,000 μm2 area in each zone, were measured. Microscopic appearance of OA cartilage was much different as compared to control. Various changes seen were different in all specimens and they were not related to age. Lacunar size in all four zones was found to differ significantly in the OA (group 1) and control (group 2) (). The results suggest that OA should be considered as a specific process and not simply as an inevitable feature of ageing.