[3D reconstruction of anterior internal vertebral venous plexus of a human fetus: a feasibility study].
Anterior internal vertebral venous plexus have been studied extensively due to their clinical importance in diseases of the spine and obstruction of the inferior vena cava. The aim of this feasibility study was to reconstruct in 3D the lower thoracic area of the anterior epidural space of a 69 mm (crown-rump) human fetus from the Rouvière Collection, circa 1927. Forty slices (spaced by 40 microm) at the level of the tenth and eleventh thoracic vertebrae, and their lower adjacent intervertebral discs, were reconstructed in 3D using the commercial software SURFdriver. In a preliminary study, we had found that the structures of the epidural space are already formed at this stage of development, and that they are comparable to the adult stage (2002). Reconstruction of the microscopic slices in 3D allowed to better visualize spatially the structures of the venous plexus and their anatomical relationships. This technique could be used as a complement to the classically used histological studies.
Hamid
M
M
Anatomie, Université Paris V, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France.
Hounnou
G M
GM
Toussaint
P J
PJ
Uhl
J F
JF
Delmas
V
V
Plaisant
O
O
D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000196:embryology*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D013131:Spine; D014680:Veins / Q000196:embryology*