The nutritive arteries of bones may be injured due to fracture or surgical procedures. Therefore, there are some studies focused on the location of the nutrient foramen (NF) of bones. Rats are the most preferred animals in experimental studies. The purpose of this study is to expose the locational variations of the NF on the rat (Sprague Dawley) scapula. A total of 60 adult rat scapulae (from 16 male and 14 female rats) were used. The diameters of NFs were measured. The length, width, and distances of the NF to the proximal and cranial edges were measured. Foraminal indices were also calculated. It was determined that the average number of NF per scapula was 1.8. The location of the NFs was 52% on the medial aspect and 48% on the lateral aspect. On the medial aspect of the scapula, NFs were frequently found ventrally, on the neck region of the scapula. Laterally, 40 NFs were found in the ventral region of the infraspinatus fossa and only 12 in the ventral region of the supraspinatus fossa. Longitudinal foraminal index 95% confidence intervals were 74.25-79.18 (lateral) and 71.70-75.97 (medial). Transversal foraminal index 95% confidence intervals were 40.98-45.02 (lateral) and 42.91-46.07 (medial). Diameter of the NF 95% confidence interval was 0.21-0.39 mm. The locational knowledge of the NF can be utilized in anatomical or experimental surgery studies. The cranial and proximal edges of the rat scapula may be palpable; surgeons may palpate these regions and easily evaluate the location of the NFs.

Background The talus is the second largest tarsal bone and makes the osseous link between the leg and foot region. The branches of the dorsalis pedis, posterior tibial, and peroneal arteries enter vascular foramina (VF) on the various surfaces of the talus and provide intraosseous blood supply. Understanding the morphology and morphometry of VF might be helpful in reducing the risk of vascular injury associated with surgical interventions to the talus.  Aim and objectives The purpose of this study is to contribute reference data for the morphology of VF of talus in a sample from Türkiye. Materials and methods This study was performed on 62 dry talus samples from Türkiye. The number, location, size, and foraminal index of the VF were evaluated on each talus. The total and medial surface lengths, distances of the closest and furthest foramina on the inferior surface, and distances of the closest and furthest foramina on medial surface were measured. Results No VF was detected on articular surfaces and the head of the talus. The majority of VF (1754; 81.17%) were detected on the neck, and 708 (40.36%) were located on the inferior surface of the neck. On the body, VF was mostly detected on the medial surface (233; 57.25%). The mean foraminal indices of the closest and furthest foramina on the inferior surface were 38.85% and 77.89%, respectively. The mean foraminal index of the closest foramina on the medial surface was 33.52%, and the furthest foramina on the medial surface was 63.91%. The total number of VF on 62 tali was determined as 2161. The majority (1521; 70.38%) of the size of VF was ≥0.6 mm. The mean total length was 55.14±4.69 mm, and the medial surface length was 49.18±4.18 mm. Conclusion Knowing the morphologic and morphometric properties of the VF gains importance during surgical interventions to the talus to reduce vascular damage. According to our results, lateral approaches to the talus may be safer than other approaches. To our knowledge, there is no study about the morphology of VF of the talus in Türkiye samples. We believe that the results of this study will provide reference data for morphology and morphometry of VF of talus.

Radiologic evaluation of the tibial nutrient artery is clinically important as disruption of tibial blood supply is a risk factor for delayed or non-union of tibial fractures. Damage to the tibial nutrient artery canal (TNAC) may occur by a traversing fracture or iatrogenic cause in the context of pin/screw placement. Furthermore, TNAC could be misdiagnosed as a stress fracture. The aim of this study was to characterize the normal anatomy of TNAC and to delineate its gender and side-specific differences. Patients who underwent contrast-enhanced computed-tomography encompassing the pelvis and lower extremities were included. TNAC was identified with an external and internal foramen and a traversing intercortical canal. Various anatomical morphometrics were evaluated: total number of nutrient canals, angular position of the outer and inner nutrient foramina, absolute and relative position of the nutrient foramina, as well as the intercortical canal length with respect to tibial length. The majority of patients of both genders had only one tibial nutrient canal, multiple canals or complete absence were rare. In most cases, the outer nutrient foramen was found on the posterolateral aspect of the upper-third of tibia at about 32% of tibial length; the inner foramen was found at the middle third of the tibia (41% of tibial length). The course of nutrient canal was mostly cranio-caudal with a small, but significant difference in relative canal length: 8.5% vs. 10% of tibial length for females and males, respectively. The angular location of the outer and inner foramen was between 20-30° and did not reveal a statistically significant difference between genders. No statistically significant side specific differences were found for all analyzed parameters and both genders. The clinical relevance of this anatomical study pertains to establishing \"safe corridors\" of pin/screw insertion in the context of surgical management of tibial fractures in order to avoid iatrogenic disruption of tibial blood supply.

OBJECTIVE: Trauma to the hand is extremely common, often resulting in metacarpal fractures and dislocations. The surgical intervention may be required for restoration of function and appearance. The preoperative, topographical knowledge of the nutrient foramens is valuable in such operative procedures to preserve the circulation for healing and good postoperative results.
METHODS: The topographic and morphometric analysis of 250 non-pathological metacarpals (fifty each from first to fifth) was performed and the foraminal index of each metacarpal was evaluated.
RESULTS: All the metacarpals were having single nutrient foramen except the second metacarpal which showed double nutrient foramens in two cases. The nutrient foramen was situated on the medial surface of first and second metacarpals and on lateral surface in third, fourth and fifth metacarpals in majority of the cases; however, their presence on anterior border (2.8%) was also noticed. The direction of the foramen was always away from the growing end. In 88, 98.1, 90, 94 and 100% of first to fifth consecutive metacarpals, foraminal index ranged between 33.3 and 66.6, indicating their presence on middle third of the shaft.
CONCLUSIONS: Though the majority (94%) of foramens were present on the middle third of the shaft, their presence on the proximal (2.8%) and distal third (3.2%) of the shaft cannot be ruled out. The presence of nutrient foramens on the anterior border of third metacarpal has not been classically reported. This information may be important for radiologists to avoid misdiagnosing them as pathology.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge regarding nutrient foramina of bones is useful in surgical procedures such as microvascular bone transfer in order to preserve the circulation. The objective of the present study was to study the morphology and topography of nutrient foramina and to determine the foraminal index of the lower limb long bones to provide detailed data on such features.
METHODS: The study comprised examination of 206 lower limb long bones which included femora, tibiae and fibulae. The nutrient foramina were identified analysed macroscopically and the foramen index calculated. Each bone was divided into five parts and topographical analysis was performed on each section.
RESULTS: Femora had single nutrient foramen in 47.7% of the cases, double foramen in 44.2% of the cases, triple in 3.5% of the cases and an absence of foramen in 4.6%. In the case of tibiae, 98.6% showed single foramen and in 1.4% of the cases, the foramen was absent. With respect to fibulae, 90.2% had single foramen and foramen was absent in 9.8%. The mean foraminal index was 38.9 for the femora, 32.5 for tibiae and 49.2 for fibulae. The majority (51.3%) of the foramina in the femora were located at the 2/5(th) part, 98.3% of the tibiae foramina at the 2/5(th) part and 60% of the fibulae at the 3/5(th) part.
CONCLUSIONS: The study provides information on the morphology and topography of nutrient foramina in lower limb long bones. The double foramina were more common in femur and rare in the tibia and fibula. The foramina of the femur and tibia were commonly observed at their upper part, whereas in the fibula they were present on the lower part. This knowledge of the nutrient foramina has to be kept in mind during surgical procedures.