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Introduction/Objective. The foramen of Vesalius is a variable foramen located at the base of the skull, anteromedial to the foramen ovale, and lateral to the foramen rotundum. Through this foramen, passes one of the emissary veins, which establishes communication between the cavernous sinus and the pterygoid plexus. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of this foramen in adults depending on gender, along with the number of foramina, distributions relative to the side of the skull and diameter of the foramen. Methods. A material used in the study were digital computed tomography (CT) scans of adult paranasal cavities from the archives of the Radiology Center, archived in the PACS software system. We analyzed axial CT sections of 1 mm thickness. The research included 500 subjects (250 males and 250 females). Results. The foramen of Vesalius was present in 67.6% of respondents. In 50.9% cases, the foramen was bilateral and in 49.1% it was unilateral. The average oblique diameter of the foramen in men was 1.75 ± 0.59 mm and in women 1.56 ± 0.48 mm. In 22 subjects (6.51%) the foramina were doubled, and in two (0.60%) they were tripled. Conclusion. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of the foramen of Vesalius concerning gender. The mean diameter of the foramen was statistically higher in males. The presence of this foramen is important for neurosurgeons because, during the percutaneous trigeminal rhizotomy, the needle can pass through this foramen, injure the surrounding blood vessels, and lead to intracranial hemorrhage.

Introduction/Objective. Vesica ileale Padovana is the surgical technique for reconstruction of lower urinary tract following radical cystectomy using isolated ileal segment. This operative technique requires dissection of both ureters in full length, that can’t be possible in some cases. The paper is aimed to present our experience with modified surgical technique of vesica ileale Padovana using 40 cm of an isolated ileal segment and initial results. Methods. 10 male patients received modified ileal neobladder following radical cystectomy at our institution during the period 2008 to 2011. The mean age of patients was 59 years (45-70). Median follow-up was 76 months (62-93). Patients were monitored cautiously for functional outcome, local recurrence, and distant progression. Results. Perioperative, early and late postoperative mortality have not been noticed. There were only 2 major complications: prolonged postoperative ileus and prolonged urinary leakage requiring percutaneous nephrostomy and subsequent ureteral reimplantation due to stenosis of ureterovesical anastomosis in 1 patient (10 %), respectively. Average ileal neobladder capacity was 450 ml. Daytime and night continence were achieved in 9 (90%) and 7 (70%) of patients, respectively. Conclusion. This modification of orthotopic ileal neobladder has not been difficult to perform in our hands. Modified technique provides a clear advantage in easier ureteral implantation more proximally than in the original technique, requiring less length of ureters. Initial encouraging results should be confirmed in further clinical practice.