AT Still University - SOMA Mesa, Arizona, United States
Abstract Body : Introduction & Objective: The involvement of zygapophyseal joints is implicated, but poorly understood in various diseases including osteoarthritis and facet syndrome. However, the zygapophyseal joint is notoriously difficult to dissect due to the toughness of the soft tissue surrounding the joint. The available techniques are time-consuming (e.g., 4 days, 7 weeks) and the instruments are not readily available in most laboratories (e.g. dental burr, -80°C freezer, custom instruments). Moreover, the protocols are not versatile enough to apply to all the vertebral segments. The goal of our project was to develop an effective and efficient protocol to dissect zygapophyseal joints that can be used for future research. Materials and methods: Two embalmed cadavers were dissected. The tools used include scalpel, rat-toothed forceps, small sharp-ended scissors, probes, a slow cooker, an electric water kettle, Milli-q® water, Borax, and Clorox® bleach. The dissected vertebral column segment (T6-T8) had a lateral width of 8cm, a superior-inferior height of 9cm, and an anterior-posterior length of 9cm. To develop an effective protocol to achieve the best views of the joint, we experimented with different approaches and tools on one male cadaver. After executing several approaches, we compiled our findings to perform a dissection on a female cadaver to perfect the protocol and soft tissue removal. Results: To remove soft tissue, 3 approaches were attempted. The first approach was removing soft tissue only with standard instruments (scalpel and scissors). However, we failed to remove all soft tissue because the tissue was too tough to cut through under normal conditions. The second approach was to remove a vertebral segment from the cadaver and immerse it in a detergent solution. However, this did not soften the tissue enough for easy removal. The third approach utilized both heat and chemicals by simmering the removed vertebral segments in near boiling water with borax (1:32) and bleach (1:16) for 2 hours. We were then able to successfully remove the soft tissue and visualize the joint. Significance/Implication: We developed a new protocol for dissecting thoracic vertebrae. It can also be applied to dissecting cervical and lumbar vertebrae by omitting steps related to the ribs. This approach is also less time consuming than currently described approaches. Conclusion: This protocol aims to inspire future cadaveric research in pathophysiology of diseases involving zygapophyseal joints. This has the potential to lead to more targeted treatment approaches for various diseases involving zygapophyseal joints. Funding: We did not receive grant funding.
