Human orbital muscle in adult cadavers and near-term fetuses: its bony attachments and individual variation identified by immunohistochemistry

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Human orbital muscle in adult cadavers and near-term fetuses: its bony attachments and individual variation identified by immunohistochemistry Via radiol anat Surg Radiol Anat. 2021 Aug 21. doi: 10.1007/s00276-021-02819-1. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT PURPOSE: To compare fetal and adult morphologies of the orbital muscle (OM) and to describe the detailed topographical anatomy in adults. METHODS: Using unilateral orbits from 15 near-term fetuses and 21 elderly cadavers, semiserial horizontal or sagittal paraffin sections were prepared at intervals of 20-100 µm. In addition to routine histology, we performed immunohistoche mistry for smooth muscle actin. RESULTS: At near term, the OM consistently extended widely from the zygomatic bone or the greater wing of the sphenoid to the maxilla or ethmoid. Thus, it was a large sheet covering the future inferior orbital fissure. In contrast, the adult OM was a thin and small muscle bundle connecting (1) the greater wing of the sphenoid to the maxilla (11/19 cadavers), (2) the lesser wing of the sphenoid to the maxilla (5/19) or the greater wing (3/19). The small OM was likely to be restricted within the greater wing (5/19 cadavers) or the maxilla (3/19). Two of these five types of OM coexisted in eight orbits. OM attachment to the lesser wing was not seen in fetuses, whereas ethmoid attachment was absent in adults. CONCLUSIONS: The lesser wing attachment of the OM seemed to establish after birth. A growing common origin of the three recti was likely involved in "stealing" the near-term OM attachment from the ethmoid. The strong immunoreactivity of r emnant-like OM in the elderly suggests that OM contraction is still likely to occur against the increased flow through a thin vein. However, the contraction might have no clinical significance. PMID:34417852 | DOI:10.1007/s00276-021-02819-1 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.