Medical Terminology Daily (MTD) is a blog sponsored by Clinical Anatomy Associates, Inc. as a service to the medical community. We post anatomical, medical or surgical terms, their meaning and usage, as well as biographical notes on anatomists, surgeons, and researchers through the ages. Be warned that some of the images used depict human anatomical specimens.

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A Moment in History

Georg Eduard Von Rindfleisch

Georg Eduard Von Rindfleisch
(1836 – 1908)

German pathologist and histologist of Bavarian nobility ancestry. Rindfleisch studied medicine in Würzburg, Berlin, and Heidelberg, earning his MD in 1859 with the thesis “De Vasorum Genesi” (on the generation of vessels) under the tutelage of Rudolf Virchow (1821 - 1902). He then continued as a assistant to Virchow in a newly founded institute in Berlin. He then moved to Breslau in 1861 as an assistant to Rudolf Heidenhain (1834–1897), becoming a professor of pathological anatomy. In 1865 he became full professor in Bonn and in 1874 in Würzburg, where a new pathological institute was built according to his design (completed in 1878), where he worked until his retirement in 1906.

He was the first to describe the inflammatory background of multiple sclerosis in 1863, when he noted that demyelinated lesions have in their center small vessels that are surrounded by a leukocyte inflammatory infiltrate.

After extensive investigations, he suspected an infectious origin of tuberculosis - even before Robert Koch's detection of the tuberculosis bacillus in 1892. Rindfleisch 's special achievement is the description of the morphologically conspicuous macrophages in typhoid inflammation. His distinction between myocardial infarction and myocarditis in 1890 is also of lasting importance.

Associated eponyms

"Rindfleisch's folds": Usually a single semilunar fold of the serous surface of the pericardium around the origin of the aorta. Also known as the plica semilunaris aortæ.

"Rindfleisch's cells": Historical (and obsolete) name for eosinophilic leukocytes.

Personal note: G. Rindfleisch’s book “Traité D' Histologie Pathologique” 2nd edition (1873) is now part of my library. This book was translated from German to French by Dr. Frédéric Gross (1844-1927) , Associate Professor of the Medicine Faculty in Nancy, France. The book is dedicated to Dr. Theodore Billroth (1829-1894), an important surgeon whose pioneering work on subtotal gastrectomies paved the way for today’s robotic bariatric surgery. Dr. Miranda.

Sources:
1. "Stedmans Medical Eponyms" Forbis, P.; Bartolucci, SL; 1998 Williams and Wilkins
2. "Rindfleisch, Georg Eduard von (bayerischer Adel?)" Deutsche Biographie
3. "The pathology of multiple sclerosis and its evolution" Lassmann H. (1999)  Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 354 (1390): 1635–40.
4. “Traité D' Histologie Pathologique” G.E.
Rindfleisch 2nd Ed (1873) Ballieres et Fils. Paris, Translated by F Gross

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Sinus of Valsalva

Published: Wednesday, January 14, 2015 07:00 | Written by: Efrain A. Miranda, Ph.D. | Hits: 10147

Aortic root of the ascending aorta open by dissection
Click for a larger image

The sinuses of Valsalva are dilations related to both the aortic root of the ascending aorta and the root of the pulmonary trunk. These sinuses form part of the functional aspect of the corresponding aortic valve and pulmonary valve. Each one of these semilunar valves presents normally with three sinuses of Valsalva, although the sinuses of the pulmonary valve are smaller than those of the aortic valve.

One of the problems encountered when describing each sinus of Valsalva is the fact that the sinus itself is not a structure, but a space. This space is found between the corresponding valve leaflet (or cusp) and the arterial wall which presents with a concavity, thus creating the sinus. This concavity is important functionally as it allows the leaflet to “flutter” in the arterial stream without getting stuck to the arterial wall. Physiological studies on the presence of the sinuses of Valsalva indicate that they play an important role decreasing of minimizing the stress of the valve leaflets.

The dilation of the sinuses of Valsalva also creates a bulbous region at the origin of both the ascending aorta and the pulmonary trunk, the “root” of these arteries.  For a better view of this bulbous region, click here. The boundary between the bulbous sinusal segment and the tubular segment of the arteries is known as the sinotubular junction (STJ).

The accompanying image shows a human ascending aorta that has been cut open to show the sinuses of Valsalva (yellow arrows), and the three cusps (leaflets) of the aortic valve. These are the non-coronary cusp (NCC), right coronary cusp (RCC), and the left coronary cusp (LCC). The ostia of the coronary arteries are visible inferior to the STJ.

The sinuses of Valsalva are named after Antonio Maria Valsalva (1666 - 1723), an Italian physician and anatomist.

Sources:
1. “Anatomy of the aortic root: implications for valve sparing surgery” Charitos EI, Sieveres, HH Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2013;2(1):53-56
2. “Clinical Anatomy of the Aortic Root” Anderson, RH Heart 200; 84: 670–673
3. “The Anatomy of the Aortic Root” Loukas, E et al. Clin Anat 2014; 27:748-756
4: "Stress Analysis of the Aortic Valve With and Without the Sinuses of Valsalva" Beck, A et al J Heart Dis 2001; 10 (1) 1-11
Image property of: CAA.Inc.>. Photographer: D.M. Klein