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19-08-2022 | Research

The medial wall and medial compartment of the cavernous sinus: an anatomic study using plastinated histological sections

Authors: Kaili Shi, Zhifan Li, Xiao Wu, Chunjing Ma, Xingyu Zhu, Liu Xu, Zhengzheng Sun, Shengchun Xu, Liang Liang

Published in: Neurosurgical Review | Issue 5/2022

Abstract

The medial wall of the cavernous sinus (CS) has a significant role in evaluation and treatment of pituitary adenomas. This study was conducted to clarify the fine architecture of the medial wall and medial compartment of the CS at both macro- and micro-levels in twenty-one human cadaveric heads by using the epoxy sheet plastination technique. The sellar part medial wall is an intact dural layer that separates the CS from the pituitary gland. This dural wall adhered to the diaphragma sellae and the periosteum of the sella turcica to form fibrous triangles. Eight micro-protrusions of the pituitary gland were found at both sides of that wall. The thickness of the sellar part medial wall at its central portion was significantly thinner than that at the other surrounding portions. From the superior view, tortuous intracavernous carotid arteries can be divided into outward bending type and inward bending type. The inward bending intracavernous carotid was apt to bent towards the central part of the sellar part medial wall, where there were usually wide and short fibrous bands with more densely stained connective tissues between them. The micro-protrusion of the pituitary gland in the medial wall of the CS could provide an anatomical basis for the occult tumor invasion and the recurrence of residual tumor. Different bending facing states of tortuous intracavernous carotid arteries in the lateral direction may be a factor of the determination of the direction of growth of pituitary tumors.

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Title: The medial wall and medial compartment of the cavernous sinus: an anatomic study using plastinated histological sections
Authors: Kaili Shi
Zhifan Li
Xiao Wu
Chunjing Ma
Xingyu Zhu
Liu Xu
Zhengzheng Sun
Shengchun Xu
Liang Liang
Publication date: 19-08-2022
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Neurosurgical Review / Issue 5/2022
Print ISSN: 0344-5607
Electronic ISSN: 1437-2320
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10143-022-01846-9

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The medial wall and medial compartment of the cavernous sinus: an anatomic study using plastinated histological sections

Abstract

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