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W Platzer

Publications and source records attributed to W Platzer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Otorhinolaryngologic computer-assisted biopsies of the Iceman.

BACKGROUND: The Iceman is a prehistoric, completely preserved, 5300-year-old male human mummy. OBJECTIVE: To obtain the first biopsy specimens from inside the Iceman while meeting an extended standard of hygiene and following precise intraoperative guidance to the site of biopsy and keeping tissue damage to a minimum. DESIGN: Biopsy specimens from the nose, the maxillary sinus, and the larynx of the Iceman were obtained. Special caution had to be taken while performing the biopsies to not contaminate the Iceman with heavy metals or remnants of microorganisms. SUBJECT: The Iceman, a cadaver kept frozen in a glacier for 5300 years. The Iceman is in an excellent state of preservation and will allow fundamental histological, morphological, and molecular genetic insights into early man. INTERVENTION: The biopsies were planned and executed with the aid of Interventional Video Tomography, a system that guides the surgeon to the target area by combining live video with existing imaging modalities. The system does not need mechanical fixation of the subject (the Iceman) and is barely in physical contact with the subject; thus, it was the ideal tool for guiding the surgeon to the site of the biopsy samplings through a tiny canal into the nose, the maxillary sinus, and the larynx of the Iceman. RESULTS: We have obtained a number of tissue samples by precisely guided 3-dimensional navigation. Unnecessary tissue damage was avoided. CONCLUSIONS: Visual inspection of the extracted mucosa showed typical human cadaver tissue, despite its age, without clinical abnormalities. Currently, the samples are being investigated by various international scientific groups.

Animals↗

[3D computer-assisted ENT biopsies of the Iceman].

The University of Innsbruck possesses a unique prehistoric, completely conserved 5300-year-old human cadaver. We report our experiences during which ENT specialists collected samples from various cavities inside the Iceman. Guidance of biopsy instruments was accomplished with computer-assisted navigation based on Interventional Video Tomography. This technology allows surgical guidance by interlinking currently available imaging modalities with live endoscopic video. The system operates without patient fixation and is practically free of external contact. Apart from sterility, special precautionary measures were necessary to avoid contamination with heavy metals or microorganisms. Visual inspection of the samples of mucosa from the nose, maxillary sinus and larynx revealed the typical patterns of a human cadaver without overt pathology.

Animals↗

Skull of a 5,300-year-old mummy: reproduction and investigation with CT-guided stereolithography.

PURPOSE: In September 1991, a mummified corpse was discovered soon after it was released by the receding ice of the Similaun glacier in the Tyrolean Alps. This body proved to be an astonishingly well-preserved man from the late Neolithic Age or early Bronze Age. To preserve the fragile mummy, scientific investigations were required to be as noninvasive and nondestructive as possible. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A radiologic investigation that included conventional radiography, digital radiography, and whole-body computed tomography (CT) was performed from the CT data, the skull was duplicated by means of stereolithography. RESULTS: The copy of the prehistoric skull was validated by means of comparison of measurements obtained from the original CT images and from external physical measurements of the intact head of the mummy. CONCLUSION: The CT images, radiologic findings, and duplicated skull are expected to provide anthropologists and other interested scientists relatively accurate information without the need to handle the mummy, to expose it to the considerable risks of repeated partial thawing, or to perform invasive exploratory studies such as autopsy.

Animals↗

[Value of the neurovascular guide plate for pelvic surgery].

In the past few years great effort has been made to reduce the morbidity after oncologic operations in the small pelvis of the male. In this respect it is essential for urologic surgeons to orient themselves with the anatomic structures that mark the course of the important vessels and nerves. For this reason an anatomic study of the connective tissue in the male pelvis was performed in which dissections and serial sections were analyzed. The results show that the connective tissue in the male pelvis does not represent a monomorphic block but consists of several portions of varying density. The looser portions are also known as the "connective tissue spaces" of the pelvis. The comparatively dense portions--the so-called "vessel-nerve guiding plate" and its three "connective tissue pillars"--envelop the vessels and nerves supplying the corresponding pelvic organs. Therefore, they provide ideal landmarks for urologic surgery.

Adult↗

The iceman.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adult↗

[A new model fo the evaluation of measurements of the neurocranium].

A simple and user-friendly model for trigonometric description of the neurocranium based on newly defined points of measurement is presented. This model not only provides individual description, but also allows for an evaluation of developmental and phylogenetic aspects.

Animals↗

Some anthropological aspects of the prehistoric Tyrolean ice man.

The corpse of a Late Neolithic individual found in a glacier in Oetztal is unusual because of the intact nature of all body parts that resulted from the characteristics of its mummification process and its protected geographical position with regard to glacier flow. Anthropological data indicate that the man was 25 to 40 years old, was between 156 and 160 centimeters in stature, had a cranial capacity of between 1500 and 1560 cubic centimeters, and likely died of exhaustion.

Animals↗

[Computerized documentation of the topicality of pain].

The exact and objective classification and documentation of pain is a difficult problem which is not easy to overcome. Therefore it seems necessary to reduce as for as possible all mistakes resulting from misunderstandings between pain information given by the patient and documentation carried out by the physician. Therefore a system should contribute to simplify the documentation of pain localisation. By means of dividing the human body into regions and numbering the pain-areas even computer documentation becomes feasible. Thus the standardization of pain area documentation permits its application as parameter in research projects with a large number of cases.

Computers↗

[New system for the preservation and storage of anatomical matter].

The authors introduce a new system of preservation and storage of anatomical material. The system accomplishes the following demands: (1) avoidance of fungi on section material, (2) alternative application of various preservation fluids, (3) utmost flexibility of storage capacity, (4) clearness and easy control, (5) elimination of unpleasant smell, (6) smallest possible need of staff and (7) low working expenses.

Anatomy↗

[Rudimentary uterus in testicular feminization (author's transl)].

The absence of uterus has been regarded by a number of authors as a condition for the diagnosis of testicular feminization, although cases with a rudimentary uterus have been reported. However, their number within the framework of this syndrome cannot be exactly determined. In the present report on a 22 year-old patient with testicular feminization and uterus bicornis solidus a double uterus malformation identical with that described in the Mayer-Rokitansky-küster syndrome was found. Forms of testicular feminization with rudimentary uterus in genetically-male individuals may be explained by the absence of androgens, or the absence of reactivity on the part of the target organ, and a simultaneous disturbance (lessening) of the function of the so-called X-factor (oviduct repressor) during early embryonal development. Our own observations, as well as reports in the literature, suggest a theory according to which testicular feminization may be regarded as a series of morphological variants, from male-oriented forms with vaginal aplasie, hypertrophy of the clitoris and male distribution of pubic hair, to female-orientated ones with a vagina of normal length and a rudimentary uterus. The absence of a uterus as a condition for the definition of the syndrome can be maintained only so far as no cases have, as yet been observed with a normally-developed uterus in a typical position. The karyogram showed a small Y-chromosome. Functional anomalies may only be surmised, since Y-anomalies are frequent (3% in a random collection). The morphology of the testes mirrored the functional embryonal insufficiency (pre-pubertal, undifferentiated testicular tissue with a varying amount of stroma and Leydig cells); the basal excretion of testosterone, 17-ketosteroid fractions and pregnane in the 24-hour urine was within the normal range for males. Oestrogen production over and above the "adrenal values" was also present. The values for plasma testosterone, which are in accordance with those of males of a similar age, are considered as indicating the importance of "androgen resistance in the periphery" as a factor in the aetiology of testicular feminization.

17-Ketosteroids↗