November 9, 2010
School of Medicine, Kochi
Dr. M. Gopalan, Head of the Department of Medical Illustrations at the Amrita School of Medicine was recently honoured at the 33rd Annual Conference of Association of Anatomists at Chennai.
Dr. Gopalan was conferred the Dr. M. M. Cooper Award for best anatomy faculty member for presentation of his paper titled Temporal bone dissection –Intra temporal -3-D construction of facial, vestibulocochlear nerves and its relations.
Facial nerve, the 7th cranial nerve, is the longest and most tortuous cranial nerve in the bony canal of the temporal bone of the skull. It supplies the muscles of face for facial expressions, for taste at the tip of the tongue, and also the small muscles inside the ear for hearing.
Along with the facial nerve, the vestibulocochlear nerve, the 8th cranial nerve, also enters the temporal bone and supplies the vestibulocochlear apparatus (the hearing machinery) situated inside the temporal bone.
“A three-dimensional orientation of the course and relations of facial and vestibulocochlear nerve and the vestibulocochlear apparatus are highly essential for an ENT/neuro surgeon for operative procedures,” stated Dr. Gopalan.
Any injuries to facial nerves during surgeries may result in facial paralysis.
“Even though pictures are available from medical text books, 3-dimensional models of these structures are not available for reference.”
“This encouraged me to construct a magnified 3-D semi – transparent- model of polyester resin that can be used as a teaching aid for medical/dental graduates and postgraduates in anatomy, ENT and neurosurgery,” he shared.
“The model was made after a thorough study of various parameters of the tympano-mastoid segments of the facial nerve, its relations with the important middle and inner ear structures by temporal bone dissection.”
Currently serving as the head and the chief medical illustrator at the Department of Medical Illustrations at the Amrita School of Medicine, Dr. Gopalan has received several honors for his contributions to the field of anatomy.
The Amrita fraternity proudly congratulates the doctor on his latest achievement.
