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Biomedical subjects

L M Lataster

Publications and source records attributed to L M Lataster.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

The internal vertebral venous plexus prevents compression of the dural sac during atlanto-axial rotation.

Deformation of the extradural space and the possibility of impression upon the dural sac during atlanto-axial rotation are investigated. Atlanto-axial rotation leads to a reduction in the cross-sectional area of the bony spinal canal of approximately 40%. Atlanto-axial rotation was recorded by endocanalar views from a video camera fixed inside the skull of six unembalmed cadavers. Axial thin-section T1-weighted MRI slice sets were acquired from three volunteers (mid-position and maximal left and right rotation of the head and cervical spine). The axial cross-sectional areas of the bony spinal canal, dural sac and spinal cord were measured. In two other persons post-gadolinium contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRI volume scans with fat-suppression prepulse were acquired (mid-position and rotation) to determine venous contents of the extradural space. The 50:50 ratio between left and right extradural halves in mid-position changed to an ipsilateral:contralateral ratio of 20:80 in maximum rotation at the level just above the lateral C1-C2 joints. Directly below these joints the opposite occurred. The post-contrast studies showed an enhancing internal vertebral venous plexus (IVVP), which almost completely occupied the extradural space at the atlanto-axial level. This could not be shown in the cadaver experiments, because of absence of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure. During atlanto-axial rotation blood displacement in the IVVP allows major deformations of the extradural space. This prevents dural sac impression.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Diffusion tensor imaging in biomechanical studies of skeletal muscle function.

In numerical simulations of skeletal muscle contractions, geometric information is of major importance. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) technique is suitable to obtain valid input with regard to skeletal muscle fibre direction. The accuracy of the DTI method was therefore studied by comparison of DTI fibre directions in the rat tibialis anterior muscle with fascicle striation patterns visible on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and with fibre directions in an actual longitudinal section (ALS) through the same muscle. The results showed an excellent qualitative agreement between high-resolution MRI and DTI. Despite less accurate quantitative comparison with ALS, it was concluded that DTI does indeed measure skeletal muscle fibre direction. After the experiment, it was possible to determine an appropriate voxel size (0.9 mm3) that provided enough resolution and acceptable accuracy (5 degrees) to use DTI fibre directions in biomechanical analyses. Muscle deformation during contraction, resulting from a finite element simulation with a mesh that was directly generated from the experimental data, has been presented.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Plastic embedding procedure for 15 microns sections of large undecalcified tissue blocks.

A method is described that produces sections (15 microns) of large specimens (with dimensions up to 140 x 100 x 200 mm). They are suitable for comparison to CT images of that specimen and can be used as a basis for three-dimensional reconstructions. Frozen unfixed parts of the human body are embedded in polyurethane and scanned with CT. Undecalcified slices, 6 mm thick, of these specimens are cut with a bandsaw. These slices are successfully embedded in polyester resin by means of fixation, dehydration, and subsequent impregnation with this resin. Sections of 15 microns are obtained by cutting the trimmed and sandpapered polyester blocks with an LKB multirange microtome. They are collected on adhesive tape and stained according to Weigert-Azan, sealed between adhesive acetate sheets and photographed on colour slide film. As an example photographs of sections of the human elbow and lumbar spine region are presented.

Cryopreservation↗
PubMed1991

Histological preparation of the undecalcified rat otic bulla for mesoscopic observations.

Otic bullas of the rat, obtained by excision and formalin fixed, are successfully embedded in methylmethacrylate by dehydration and subsequent infiltration with plastic under vacuum. Sections 10 microns thick are obtained by cutting the trimmed and sandpapered acrylic blocks on an LKB multirange microtome. The sections are collected on adhesive tape and stained with a Trichrome stain (modified Weigert-van Gieson). Finally, the sections attached to the tape are mounted on microscope slides with glycerin-gelatin and sealed in the same medium. Serial sections are used for three-dimensional graphic reconstruction.

Animals↗