Reconstructing Human Vagal Anatomy (REVA) (CWRU & Duke) - Anatomy

Study Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the pathways and branches of the vagus nerves in embalmed cadavers.

Data Collection: We dissected the vagus nerves of embalmed human cadavers from brainstem to abdomen, including the proximal ~1-2 cm of all branches and other nerves with communicating branches with the vagus nerve. We took photos before, during, and after dissection. We painted the levels of key anatomic landmarks onto the vagus nerve, and we painted each branch. We measured nerve diameters and distances between landmarks. We removed the vagal complex in one piece and glued it to acrylic grid boards. We documented branching patterns, measurements, and dissection notes in structured documents and spreadsheets.

Primary Conclusion: None stated.

Banner Image Attribution: Surgery icons created by monkik - Flaticon Image: Flaticon.com

Curator's Notes

Experimental Design: Vagus nerves were dissected from embalmed human cadavers from brainstem to abdomen, including the proximal ~1-2 cm of all branches and communicating nerves. Photographic documentation was performed before, during, and after dissection. Key anatomic landmarks and individual branches were marked with paint, and nerve diameters and inter-landmark distances were measured. The intact vagal complex was removed and mounted on acrylic grid boards. Branching patterns, measurements, and dissection observations were recorded in structured documents and spreadsheets.

Completeness: Additional data are being added to this dataset and this dataset is part of a larger data collection: Multi-scale anatomy of cadaveric human vagus nerves (SPARC REVA CWRU/Duke).

Subjects & Samples: Female (n=1) human cadaver aged 36 years was used in this study. Additional subjects will be added as data collection continues.

Primary vs derivative data: Primary data are organized per subject (i.e., a given cadaver). The primary data folder includes a folder of organized photos taken pre-dissection, during dissection, post-dissection in situ, and post-dissection ex situ once the nerve is excised (.jpg, .png), a spreadsheet with the list of all branches and their painted colors and metadata (.xlsx), a spreadsheet with all diameters and distance measurements (.xlsx), document with photos of the nerve once excised with each branch labeled (.pdf), and a summary of key observations from the dissection (.pdf).