Gruber Canal

Gruber's canal (in honor of V.L. Gruber, 1814-1890, an Austrian anatomist who worked in Russia) is an anatomical formation, which is a canal in the thickness of the temporal bone.

The canal runs horizontally into the bones from the external auditory canal to the tympanic cavity and contains the nerve of the same name - Gruber's nerve. This nerve innervates the external auditory canal and the eardrum.

Gruber's canal was first described in the 19th century by the Austrian anatomist Victor Ludwig Gruber, who was working in Russia at that time. He discovered a previously unknown canal in the temporal bone and a nerve passing through it. In honor of the discoverer, this anatomical formation was named Gruber's canal.

The Gruber canal is an important anatomical object that was discovered and studied by the Austrian anatomist and teacher V.L. Gruzberg. He presented this object at the International Medical Congress in Paris in 1845. Gruber named this object in honor of his teacher and colleague (Wilhelm Reil Gruber).

Gruber studied the shape, anatomy, topography and relationships of this channel, and also suggested its importance in the treatment of certain diseases. He also described cases in which diagnostic errors led to misdiagnoses or unrecognized diseases. This observation had important consequences for the development of anatomy and medicine in subsequent years.

It is known that more than 30 famous anatomists and clinicians gave their work on the Gruber canal. One such scientist, Charles Bayer (1736-1809), described Gruber as "a purse containing glands inside." Likewise, Dr. D. Mayer (1477-1481) also discussed the significance and anatomy of the Gruber canal in his works.

However, one of the most striking clinical articles on the topic of Gruber canal is an article by physician Jones Bossipi, written in the 19th century. Bosspi drew attention to the diagnostic value of the Gruber canal in diagnosing diseases in the sternum and recorded some cases from his practice: “One remarkable case, when Dr. Brennan listened to the patient’s lungs for pneumopathy, discovered a hissing sound in the posterior wall of the middle lobe of the left lung. After several efforts, apparently, to remove the subpleural vesicle, the hissing disappeared. The doctor inserted a needle into the posterolateral wall of the middle lobe and received the release of a transparent substance that had a characteristic aroma of cyberosis. The undoubted presence of something that was confused with pneumopathy, this substance brought us out, and after several searches teams, we found the above-described Grubers canal in the subural tissue and sternal bones, where at the beginning it was a serous cavity."

Bosspi also noted that the emission of cyberosis is often accompanied by a slight feeling of numbness or warmth in the patient's left arm and leg. Patients who develop Grubers tunnel in the early stages may often feel only mild numbness. However, with further development of this channel, the symptom may intensify and manifest itself in various disorders, for example, loss of control over the limbs or weakness in the heart area.

Today, advances in medical technology have made the ability to detect Gruber canals and the retroperitoneal space somewhat more accessible.