Life Sciences Commons^™

Conus Medullaris Termination In Adult Females, Vishwant Tatagari, Elizabeth Brehman, Jacob Newman, Deonnie Huang, Kerin M. Claeson

Research Day

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine the termination level of the spinal cord in a sample population of adult female cadavers.

Introduction: The conus medullaris represents the tapered, distal-most end of the spinal cord. It tends to be found somewhere between the L1-L2 lumbar vertebrae and can sometimes be higher or lower. Studies report the conus medullaris can be found anywhere from the lower third of T11 to the upper third of L3 with the average termination point around the lower third of L1. We aim to describe the level of conus medullaris termination in a …

Plastination Procedure @ Pcom: Current Practice And Future Uses, Derek D. Jolley, Vishwant R. Tatagari, Kerin M. Claeson

Research Day

Introduction: Since its invention by German anatomist Gunther von Hagens, the process of forced-impregnation plastination of organic specimens has become the standard for the preservation of biological tissue specimens. This practice serves as the most practical method to preserve these specimens for study and is utilized at PCOM regularly for this purpose. During the steps of plastination, aqueous and lipid tissues are replaced by a curable polymer to produce plastinates that do not decompose, can be handled without gloves, and retain most characteristics of the original specimens. For decades, PCOM used this method to prepare a permanent teaching collection …