Cultural changes, scientific progress, and new trends in medical education have modified the role of dissection in teaching anatomy in today's medical schools. We discuss in this article the role of dissection itself, the value of which has been under debate for the last 30 years. The importance of dissection is considered from different points of view: educational, bioethical, and human values. Included are different opinions from professors and students. Finally, the current practice of dissection is described for some universities in the United States and Europe, showing its use as a learning tool. Anat Rec (Part B: New Anat) 285B:11–15, 2005.

There is a significant variety of vascular conduits options for coronary bypass surgery. Adequate graft selection is the most important factor for the success of the intervention. To ensure durability, permeability, and bypass function, there must be a morphological similarity between the graft and the coronary artery. The objective of this review was to analyze the morphological characteristics of the grafts that are most commonly used in coronary bypass surgery and the coronary arteries that are most frequently occluded. We included clinical information regarding the characteristics that determine the behavior of the grafts and its permeability over time. Currently, the internal thoracic artery is the standard choice for bypass surgery because of the morphological characteristics of the wall that makes less prone to developing atherosclerosis and hyperplasia. The radial and right gastroepiploic arteries are the following second and third best options, respectively. The ulnar artery is the preferred choice when other conduits are not feasible.

Over the years we have observed that there is a very low passing rate for the Anatomy and Neuroanatomy courses in our department, and for that reason we decided to implement the use of student‐learning resources. The objective of this study was to compare the results of traditional methodology with those obtained with the support of computer‐assisted learning (CAL). We performed a retrospective and joint study for Anatomy and Neuroanatomy groups during the period of September 2001 to February 2003, to establish a comparison between traditional learning and traditional learning supported by CAL. In the Anatomy group, students who used the traditional method (n₁ = 365) received an average final grade of 58 (SD = 14.94), while the average final grade for students who used the traditional method supported by CAL (n₂ = 283) was 68 (SD = 14.56). In the Neuroanatomy group, the students who used the traditional method (n₃ = 217) had an average final grade of 61 (SD = 14.51), while the students who used the traditional method supported by CAL (n₄ = 134) received an average final grade of 68 (SD = 13.52). A z‐test was conducted to determine the difference in averages between the two groups (α = 0.05), and the results showed that the averages were significantly different (P < .001). The modified traditional method with CAL support was shown to be the best option in comparison with the traditional method. Anat Rec (Part B: New Anat) 278B:18–22, 2004.