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Histological analysis of forearm superficial veins structure
, 2, 2, 34
Affiliations- Department of Ultrastructural Research, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
- Department of Anatomy, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Physiotherapy, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
open access
Abstract
Background: The connection between the basilic and cephalic veins of the forearm shows considerable interindividual variation. Depending on its form, the most common types of venous connections are M-, N- or Y-shaped. This study aims to compare the metric traits of the basilic and cephalic veins and the relative content of smooth muscle/collagen fibers/elastic fibers in their walls and to determine the differences between the forearm venous systems.
Materials and methods: The study was performed on 42 veins collected from 26 deceased individuals between the ages of 19 and 50 years. Vein sections were fixed, embedded in paraffin blocks and used to prepare histological slides, stained according to pentachrome Movat's method. Venous metrics were assessed and the percentage of muscle, elastic and collagen fibers was determined using the Trainable Weka segmentation. Statistical analysis compared the M-type vein with the Y- and N-types, which were combined into one category.
Results and Conclusions: Analysis showed a greater tunica media thickness in the M-type vein, with a greater lumen circumference in the Y/N types. Correlation analysis showed a correlation of vein metrics with elastic fibre content and a weak inverse correlation with the tunica media thickness. It can be hypothesized that the increased performance of N- and Y-types may be related to elastic fibers content.
Abstract
Background: The connection between the basilic and cephalic veins of the forearm shows considerable interindividual variation. Depending on its form, the most common types of venous connections are M-, N- or Y-shaped. This study aims to compare the metric traits of the basilic and cephalic veins and the relative content of smooth muscle/collagen fibers/elastic fibers in their walls and to determine the differences between the forearm venous systems.
Materials and methods: The study was performed on 42 veins collected from 26 deceased individuals between the ages of 19 and 50 years. Vein sections were fixed, embedded in paraffin blocks and used to prepare histological slides, stained according to pentachrome Movat's method. Venous metrics were assessed and the percentage of muscle, elastic and collagen fibers was determined using the Trainable Weka segmentation. Statistical analysis compared the M-type vein with the Y- and N-types, which were combined into one category.
Results and Conclusions: Analysis showed a greater tunica media thickness in the M-type vein, with a greater lumen circumference in the Y/N types. Correlation analysis showed a correlation of vein metrics with elastic fibre content and a weak inverse correlation with the tunica media thickness. It can be hypothesized that the increased performance of N- and Y-types may be related to elastic fibers content.
Keywords
superficial veins, histology, segmentation, microanatomy
About this articleTitle
Histological analysis of forearm superficial veins structure
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Issue
Article type
Original article
Published online
2023-09-07
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199
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191
DOI
Pubmed
Keywords
superficial veins
histology
segmentation
microanatomy
Authors
Michał Jerzy Kulus
Wojciech Golema
Tomasz Jurek
Ryszard Jasiński
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