[Age and changes in the fascial compartment structures in the coxofemoral joint region].

Investigations performed on 66 corpses beginning from 5-month-old embryos up to 75 years of age by methods of anatomical preparations (sections were studied after N. L. Pirogov) and on total histotopographical preparations revealed anteromedial, anterolateral and posteroinferior fascial nodes in the area of the coxofemoral joint. The anteromedial node is formed by the network that consists of connective tissue fibres of fascial cases covering the lumboinguinal and pectinate muscles and the common sheaths for the artery and vein. The anterolateral node is formed by the network that consists of the connective tissue fibres of the rectal muscle case, the sheaths of the lateral vessels circumflexing the femur and fasciae of the musculus sartorius and m. tensor fasciae femoris. The posteroinferior node is formed by the network that consists of the connective tissue fibres of the fascial cases of the m. obturatorius, internal and external, fascial sheaths of the internal pudendal vessels and the ischiadic nerve. The fascial nodes in question morphologically complete their formation by the end of the fetal period. In young and adolescent age their components have abundant fibroblastic cells, collagenous and elastic fibres are correctly oriented. By 20 years of development, the fascial nodes are dense and their supporting-protective role is clearly evident. After 55 years of age, the fascial nodes are subjected to involutional alterations characterized by decreasing number of cells, rough collagenous fibre fasciculi, transformed elastic fibres. All these signs demonstrate that their protective and supporting functions decrease at this age.