Background: Understanding the topography of the blood vessels distributed around the nasolabial fold region is essential for ensuring the safety of dermal filler injections into the nasolabial fold. The purpose of this study was to provide anatomical information on the infraorbital artery distribution and its relationship with the facial artery for use in clinical procedures involving filler injection during nasolabial fold augmentation. Methods: The infraorbital artery was investigated in the nasolabial fold region divided into zones I to XII based on clock-hour meridians centered on the infraorbital foramen. The running layers of the infraorbital artery and infraorbital nerve were also compared in the infraorbital foramen. Changes in the infraorbital artery were observed according to vascular dominance of the facial artery. Results: The infraorbital artery was divided into three main branches, palpebral, nasal, and labial infraorbital artery branches in 34.7, 100, and 100 percent of the specimens, respectively; with these branches of palpebral, nasal, and labial infraorbital artery observed most commonly in zones I, V, and VI, respectively. Analysis of the bilateral facial artery topography revealed that its vascular dominance was observed in 19.4 percent. The infraorbital artery was thicker and had a wider distribution on the nondominant side of the facial artery, whereas the nasal infraorbital nerve anastomosed with the facial artery in the lateral nasal region in 57.1 percent. Conclusion: Investigating and verifying the vascular structure regarding its interactions with the facial artery and infraorbital artery will provide critical information to physicians performing facial surgery and cosmetic procedures.
Background: The frontalis is a representative target muscle for botulinum neurotoxin type A injections aimed at treating horizontal wrinkles in the forehead region. However, a lack of information regarding the shape and thickness of the frontalis may lead to unexpected side effects. Methods: This study dissected hemifaces of 44 embalmed Korean and Thai cadavers and performed ultrasound examinations on 20 Korean volunteers. Two anatomical types were identified: (1) the lateral portion of the frontalis covered the superior temporal line in type I, and (2) the lateral border of the frontalis and the superior temporal line almost coincided in type II. A horizontal line was drawn laterally from the midpoint between the metopion and the glabella, and landmarks F1, F2, and F3 were defined as points where this horizontal reference line intersected with vertical lines from the midpoint of the pupil, the lateral canthus, and the lateral orbital rim, respectively. Results: Type I was more common than type II [84 percent (37 of 44) versus 16 percent (seven of 44)]. When the lateral border of the frontalis ran along the border, there were no cases in which the superior temporal line was not visible. The mean minimum distance in type I was 10.53 mm. The muscle thicknesses at F1, F2, and F3 were 1.80 ± 0.44 mm (mean ± SD), 1.61 ± 0.37 mm, and 0.11 ± 0.04 mm, respectively. Conclusions: This study yielded data on the location and thickness of the lateral border of the frontalis. An anatomical study–based, ultrasound-guided injection technique can achieve reliable results when noninvasive treatment is applied to the forehead area.
Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) injections are widely used for facial rejuvenation procedures, and the procerus muscle is a major target in cases of glabellar transverse lines or rhytids. Although there have been many cadaveric studies of the procerus, its depth and thickness have not been investigated thoroughly. The aim of this study was to measure the depth and thickness of the procerus and identify the location of the intercanthal vein using ultrasonographic (US) imaging and the three-dimensional scanning method, which is needed to know to avoid side effects during BoNT injections. The morphology of the procerus was classified into two types based on the US images obtained at the glabella. The procerus was located deeper below the skin surface at the glabella than the sellion (3.8 ± 0.7 mm versus 2.7 ± 0.6 mm). The width of the procerus in US images increased from the sellion (10.9 ± 0.2 mm) to the glabella (14.5 ± 4.6 mm), whereas its thickness decreased (from 1.6 ± 0.6 mm to 1.1 ± 0.5 mm). The intercanthal vein was located 5.1 ± 4.0 mm superior to the sellion and 3.0 ± 0.6 mm below the skin’s surface. The present findings provide anatomical knowledge as well as the reference location information for use when injecting BoNT into the procerus.
This study was conducted to investigate the nutritional knowledge of elite athletes undergoing weight loss and to identify differences in weight-loss strategies according to nutritional knowledge. The participants included 22 coaches and 88 elite athletes registered under the same affiliation. The survey involved translating the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ), and interviews were used to confirm the diet and weight loss patterns of the athletes. The coaches and athletes were divided into high-rank (12 coaches and 57 athletes) and low-rank (10 coaches and 31 athletes) groups based on GNKQ scores. Paired t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic regression analysis were performed. GNKQ results showed significant differences between high-ranking and low-ranking coaches (p < 0.001). Furthermore, a significant difference in nutrition knowledge scores was also noticed between athletes with high-ranking and low-ranking coaches (p < 0.001). A strong correlation was observed between the GNKQ scores of coaches and athletes (r = 0.369; p < 0.001). The nutritional knowledge of coaches was also correlated with weight-loss strategies (weight loss attempt frequency; r = -0.235; p = 0.027; weight loss duration; r = -0.268; p = 0.012). Additionally, differences were observed in the intake of all nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fat) in the diets of athletes (p < 0.001). Our study suggests that the nutritional knowledge of coaches indirectly affects athletes. Coaches have significant influence over athletes and possess experience with diet and weight-loss patterns. This insight should be effectively utilized to enhance the training and performance of athletes and coaches.