The term “topography” (the definition first appeared in geology) is translated from Greek as “describe the terrain”. In the XIX century. thanks to the work of the greatest surgeon Nikolai Pirogov, this word sounded in a new way. From the field of the science of the structure of the earth's surface, the term migrated to the doctrine of the physique of a person, which soon gained worldwide fame. The new discipline is called “Topographic Anatomy”.
Field of knowledge
What is topography in medicine, every elementary student of any institute of the corresponding profile knows. This discipline is studying the location of human parts and internal organs, as well as their interaction with each other.
Topographic anatomy examines the shape and structure of body components that underwent changes as a result of various pathologies. Collecting scientific data on their characteristic biases as a result of unnatural conditions, she systematizes knowledge, making them applicable in therapy and surgery.
Being an applied discipline, the topography of internal organs is engaged in the study of the layered structure of the regions of the human body, considering it in different planes. Also in the field of interest of this science includes:
- blood circulation process;
- the design of organs on the skin and their location in relation to the skeleton;
- the supply of tissues with nerve cells, as well as the outflow of lymph from them in natural and pathological conditions;
- age, gender and constitutional characteristics of the human body.
Subject of knowledge
Surgical topography conditionally distinguishes the following anatomical areas:
- the head (which is a combination of such mutually functioning organs as the brain, eyes, taste and smell receptors, ears, oral cavity and larynx);
- the neck (as the part connecting the head with the trunk through which particularly important supply routes pass, such as the esophagus, larynx, trachea, and also vessels and arteries);
- body (in fact, the body or torso, which contains the largest number of vital organs of a person);
- limbs (as separate paired appendages in their relationship with other parts of the body).
More differentiated areas that make up the biological characteristics of a person are also involved in topography. A textbook on this discipline, paying great attention to the relative position of body parts and their effect on the surface of the body, provides a general basis for the diagnosis of diseases.
Application of scientific knowledge
The topography of the human body as a system of information about its structure and functioning plays an important applied role in medicine, providing a theoretical basis for surgical surgery.
Accurate knowledge of the layers of the body in the direction from the surface of the skin to the depth of the tissues is necessary for any practitioner. Describing the human structure, the topography of the body allows it to consistently and relatively safely penetrate areas requiring surgical intervention.
N. Pirogov believed that the reason for the vast majority of failed surgical operations by modern surgeons lies in ignoring practical knowledge. Answering numerous questions about what topography is, the scientist called it "the servant of a doctor." Relying only on theoretical information, which is nothing more than a selection of average statistical data, the practitioner is at great risk of encountering surprises in the form of individual characteristics of the human body.
Cognition technique
As an applied science, topography (the textbook of which pays a lot of attention to the course of fascial tissues) concentrates the attention of the surgeon on the smallest details of the body structure. Studying thoroughly the functional features of the protective membrane covering the organs, blood vessels and nerve fibers, she notes all existing patterns
To formulate anatomical laws unknown to science, to search for new rational methods of operations - all these issues are dealt with by anatomical topography. The designations used in this discipline and dividing the body along the sides are partly built on the same principles as the terms used in the science of the structure of the earth's surface. These, for example, include the concepts:
- middle and side,
- top and bottom
- near and far,
- right left;
- big and small, etc.
To form a clear understanding of what topography is in anatomy, one should take into account its enormous importance for substantiating such medical measures as the effect on the central nervous system and central nervous system. Being the science of the organ as a whole, it is of great value for diagnosis and, ultimately, defines all existing treatment systems.
Unlike ordinary anatomy
The first and most obvious feature of surgical topography is the approach to describing a person. Whereas it reveals the relative position of organs in regions, classical anatomy places them in systems: movement, respiration, blood circulation, etc. In addition, the science of body parts synthesizes knowledge. Classical anatomy, however, places analysis at the forefront (of entire systems as well as individual organs).
The answer to what topography is will not be complete without taking into account the special interest that this science shows in the changes occurring in the tissues of the body that are subject to various pathologies. So, thanks to this science, it became known how significant the influence of inflammatory processes on the initial form and nature of organs. Often, the majority of difficulties in performing an operation are associated precisely with the strong displacement of fibers susceptible to tumor processes relative to their initial position.
Topographic anatomy of the head
The border of this body part with the neck runs along the line of the lower jaw. Its structure includes the facial and brain departments. In the latter, the base and arch of the skull are highlighted, which is the result of the articulation of the three regions.
The frontoparietal occipital region consists in layers of:
- dura mater;
- bones
- periosteum;
- loose connective tissue;
- tendon helmet;
- fatty tissue;
- skin integument.
The features of the structure of the central nervous system, the collection and systematization of data on the mutual functioning of its components are involved in brain topography. In the substance filling the skull, its general relief, as well as the hemispheres, is isolated. The subject of study is its internal structure. Particularly considered the lower part of the brain and each of the departments.
Furrows and elevations located between them are studied on the surface of the hemispheres. Great importance is given to the pattern of convolutions. Furrows divide the hemispheres into 6 lobes.
Jaw structure
As scientific knowledge, tooth topography is a complex of information about the principles of the structure and functioning of bone formations in the mouth. She also synthesizes data on the structure of the jaw as a whole in its mutual connection with the human oral cavity. The possession of this information is necessary for the implementation of the preparation of teeth and jaw for medical purposes: fillings, cleansing of root canals and cavities, removal and correction of bone formations.
In the structure of the tooth, such parts of it are distinguished:
- crown (formed by four walls and is a triangular, slightly squeezed slit towards the sky);
- neck;
- root (located in a separate bone cell and in its structure has a specialized strong connective tissue covered with softer cement).
In the middle of the bone formation is a cavity, tapering to the apex. Inside it contains the flesh of the tooth, called the pulp and is responsible for the nutrition of the tooth. It is articulated with other tissues and fibers of nerves and blood vessels collected in a bundle.
Topographic anatomy of the eye
By its structure and length of the list of constituent elements, this organ is considered to be the most complex (after the brain). The eyeball, despite its relatively small size, contains a huge number of the most diverse systems that perform a wide range of functions. Thus, the opticobiological contains more than 2.5 million elements that allow you to process and deliver huge layers of information to the brain in less than a hundredth of a second.
The mechanical structure of the eye resembles a photographic apparatus in part. For this reason, the term “optical topography” is often used in anatomy, which is more correctly used in the technical sciences. It is also applicable to the corresponding diagnostic technique.
The role of the lens in this sense organ is played by the combination of the cornea, pupil and lens. The latter, due to its ability to vary the angle of curvature, works like a focus, adjusting the clarity of the image.
Neck topography
In addition to the skin, the list of parts of the organ connecting the head with the trunk includes:
- bundles of muscle fibers;
- “Covering” connective membrane (fascia);
- the so-called “Neck triangles” (spaces enclosed in bundles of muscles);
- part of the spinal column (consists of seven bones having low bodies).
In topographic anatomy, the neck is conditionally divided by a vertical median line. From above, it passes through the body of the hyoid bone, and from below it ends in a depression in the upper part of the sternum. In each of the halves, two types of triangles are distinguished : medial and lateral.
The first is divided into three small:
- submandibular (limited posteriorly by the biceps muscle);
- carotid (includes the internal and external arteries);
- scapular-tracheal.
The lateral borders with the extremity of the trapezoid, as well as with the clavicle, and includes two triangles. In the first are:
- bundles and branches of the brachial and cervical plexuses ;
- subclavian artery (with all its components).
The structure of the nervous system
The main function that this complex organization of special fibers performs is to read the external environmental effects and transmit the corresponding response to the central nervous system departments.
Its structure is extremely complex. The topography of the nerves includes the brain and spinal cord to the central system. Special fibers departing from them are combined into peripheral. Its function is to connect the central nervous system with muscle tissue, glands and sensory organs.
Through the transducer in the form of special cells (receptors) pass all manifestations of the external environment accessible to humans (in the form of color, taste, smell, etc.). They are translated into the language of impulses, which are perceived by nerve fibers as changes in the electrical or chemical order.
Further, stimuli along the peripheral nervous network are delivered to the central nervous system departments, where they are read and provoke a response in the form of a series of commands that are sent to the performing organs (muscles and glands) in the same way.
Body topography
The most complex and voluminous section in the science of the location of organs and other structural elements of a person is a description of the body with the exception of its limbs, neck and head.
The upper body, which has its borders along the edge of the jugular notch and clavicle, includes the chest wall and the cavity enclosed in a protective sheath. Fascia lines, including, and the unpaired muscle that separates this area of the body from the abdominal. Its backbone is the chest, which is the joint of the sternum, 12 paired bones and parts of the spine.
The complex of organs and anatomical structures of the body in this area is called the mediastinum, which in Russian surgery is divided into upper and lower sections.
The space below is called the abdominal cavity. It consists of parts:
- upper (aperture);
- external;
- lateral (girdled with fibers of the wide muscles);
- back (a chain of bones of the spinal column);
- lower (components of the iliac region and the diaphragm of the pelvis).
Motion anatomy
In the region of the upper extremities, topology distinguishes:
- bones of the skeleton (clavicle, scapula, shoulder, radial, ulnar, etc.);
- muscle fibers (shoulder girdle, shoulder, forearm, hands);
- skin integument.
The diversity in the movements of human hands is due to the specific structure of the joints and a special method of connecting them to the muscles. The character of the junction of the skeleton of the shoulder girdle with the body also plays a huge role in this . Muscles make up several layers, ranging from the superficial to the deeper.
The skeleton of the supporting limbs includes the pelvic bones and the free part: (paired femur, patella, lower leg and foot bones). The pelvic bone forms the belt of the lower limb and consists of the pubic, iliac and sciatic. In conjunction with the sacrum and tailbone, they are the bone base of the pelvis.
Conclusion
Topographic anatomy performs a number of particularly important tasks, which include a description of the exact location of organs in both natural and pathological conditions. The information that is the fruit of this science is widely and actively used in the diagnosis of diseases, therapy, and most importantly in surgery.