Peter H. Abrahams

The abdominal subcutaneous tissue: computed tomographic, magnetic resonance, and anatomical observations.

We have studied the fasciae of the abdominal subcutaneous layer by analyzing axial CT images taken at a level immediately superior to the iliac crests in 20 adult female patients. The pattern of the fascial planes seen at this level was compared with those seen on MRI and dissected cadaveric sections. We have demonstrated a circumferential subcutaneous fascial plane that divides the subcutaneous fat into a single superficial fat compartment and a single deep fat compartment.

Computed tomographic observations on subcutaneous fat : implications for liposuction

&NA; The anatomy of the abdominal subcutaneous tissues is discussed in the light of data obtained in 20 female patients examined on a modern computed tomographic system. We have shown that the superficial fascia, which separates the superficial and deep layers of subcutaneous fat, forms a continuous circumferential fascial plane. This superficial fascia, contrary to previous reports, does not appear to merge with the deep fascial plane around the external oblique muscle. The fat in the deep subcutaneous layer, bounded by the superficial fascia, is the target for liposuction techniques. The CT data have shown that about 50 percent of subcutaneous fat resides within this deep layer. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 97: 387, 1996.)

Variant slips of psoas and iliacus muscles, with splitting of the femoral nerve

In bilateral dissections of 68 cadavers, four examples were found unilaterally of variant slips of iliacus and psoas major muscles. In three of them the femoral nerve was pierced by the variant slip. One of these variants was a previously undocumented accessory slip of iliacus, originating from the iliolumbar ligament, passing inferiorly anterior to iliacus, and traversing the femoral nerve; its tendon split to be attached proximally to the lesser trochanter of the femur and distally to an unknown insertion. Such anomalies might cause tension on the femoral nerve resulting in referred pain to the hip and knee joints and to the lumbar dermatomes L2,3 and 4.

Riedel's lobe of the liver : fact or fiction?

Riedels lobe should be considered in all patients undergoing cross‐sectional imaging. It may harbor a lesion that might not be demonstrated unless the most inferior aspect of the liver is imaged. We have tried to identify the prevalence of Riedels lobe in a series of patients with normal abdominopelvic computed tomographic (CT) findings. We reviewed the digital CT data of 105 patients, ages 20–89 years, to define the position of the liver in relation to the costal margin and the iliac crest. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of Riedels lobe between sexes. The proportion of individuals in whom the most caudal margin of the liver was inferior to the most caudal costal margin was age‐dependent and increased to 65% in the 50–59 age group. The craniocaudal dimension of the liver decreased with age (P < 0.02). Riedels lobe appears to be a common variant of normal anatomy, its prevalence being dependent on age‐related changes in liver size and skeletal shape. Clin. Anat. 11:47–49, 1998.