Anatomy 27 Flashcards
What is the Vas deferens?
A tube that carries sperm from the epididymis up the spermatic cord and through the inguinal canal into the pelvis
Where does the vas deferens pass?
From the deep inguinal ring, the vas deferens passes across the side wall of the pelvis, then turns medially onto the back of the bladder
How does the vas deferens terminate?
By joining the duct of the seminal vesicle to form the ejaculatory duct
What are the seminal vesicle?
Lobulated sac, about 4cm long, lying lateral to the ampulla of the vas deferens
What do the seminal vesicles secrete?
Thick alkaline fluid which forms the bulk of seminal fluid (also known as semen)
What forms the ejaculatory duct?
The duct of the seminal vesicle joins the vas deferens
Where does the ejaculatory duct enter the prostatic gland?
Pierces the back of the prostate gland to enter the prostatic urethra
What is the prostate gland?
Roughly spherical fibromuscular gland about the size of a walnut
Where does the prostate gland lie?
It lies against the neck of the bladder and is pierced by the urethra and ejaculatory ducts
What happens to secretions of the prostate?
They are added to the seminal fluid during ejaculation
What supplies the Vas deferens, seminal vesicles and prostate?
Branches of the internal iliac artery
What is the ‘benign prostatic hyperplasia’ (BPH)?
Enlargement of the prostate with progressing age
What can BPH lead to?
Compression of the urethra and the inability to pass any urine - called urinary retention
- which requires catheterisation (insertion of a catheter into the bladder) to drain the urine
How does prostate cancer metastasise?
Venous blood from the prostate passes into a plexus of veins which lie anterior to the sacrum and communicate with veins which run up to the azygos vein in the chest.
These veins communicate with veins in the vertebral bodies which explains why prostate cancer commonly metastasizes to the vertebrae
How can the prostate be examined?
A digital rectal exam (DRE), also known as a ‘per rectum’ exam (PR).
This involves pushing a finger into the rectum via the anus and flexing it anteriorly to palpate the prostate which sits immediately anterior to the anal canal and rectum.
A clinician can feel the size, contour and firmness of the prostate during this exam and this can help guide diagnosis.
A hard, craggy prostate is concerning for malignancy
What does the female pelvis contain?
The uterus, cervix, vagina, the uterine tubes and ovaries
What is the uterus?
A hollow muscular organ about 8cm long
What does the uterus communicate with?
Laterally with the uterine tubes and
Inferiorly with the vagina
What are the different parts of the uterus?
Fundus (above the uterine tubes),
a body and a cervix
What is the body of the uterus?
The body of the uterus is typically angled anteriorly (ante-flexed) and lies on the superior surface of the bladder.
In conception where does the developing blastocyst implant?
Into the uterine lining (endometrium) in the body of the uterus
What happens to the middle muscular layer of the uterus (myometrium) as pregnancy continues?
It becomes distended
What is the uterus covered in?
A fold of peritoneum which adheres to itself at the sides of the uterus to form the broad ligament
What is the rectouterine pouch (Pouch of douglas)?
The space behind the uterus but anterior to the rectum and is lined with periotoneum
Why is the pouch of douglas a common site for the accumulation or intraperitoneal fluid or pus?
It is the deepest point in the peritoneal cavity
What is the cervical canal?
Narrow lumen, which communicates with the uterine cavity via the internal os and with the vagina via the external os
Where does the lower part of the cervix lie?
Inside the vagina creating a recess, the vaginal fornices, around the cervix
What is the position of the cervix stabilised by?
The tone of the levator ani muscle and ligaments which run from the lateral wall of the cervix to the lateral pelvic wall at the base of the broad ligament
What do the uterine tubes/fallopian tubes carry?
Carry ova from the ovary towards the uterine cavity
Where does fertilisation occur?
Inside the uterine tubes
Where do the uterine tubes run?
They are about 10cm long and are found running in the upper border of the broad ligament
What features does the uterus have near it?
Near the uterus, the tubes have a narrow isthmus.
Laterally, the uterine tubes have a dilated ampulla, leading into a funnel-shaped infundibulum
What is the free edge of the infundibulum broken into?
Finger-like projections, the fimbriae, which are draped over the ovary
What are the ovaries?
Almond-shaped organs about 4cm long and 2cm wide
What are the ovaries attached to?
Attached to the posterior aspect of the broad ligament by a short mesentery; the mesovarium
Where do the ovaries lie?
The position of the ovary is not fixed, but it frequently lies in the ovarian fossa, formed by the angle between the internal and external iliac arteries
What is the vagina?
The vagina is the female organ of sexual intercourse and the excretory duct of the uterus.
It is about 10cm long
What features does the vagina have?
It has a blind-ended vault in the region of the cervix and
terminates below at the introitus by opening into the vestibule (space) between the labia minora
What does the vagina pass through?
The pelvic floor; the upper two thirds of the vagina lie in the pelvic cavity and the lower one third in the perineum
What is the vagina closely related to?
Bladder anteriorly
Where is the urethra located in relevance to the vagina?
The urethra is often embedded in the anterior wall of the lower third of the vagina
What artery supplies the uterus, cervix, uterine tubes and vagina?
Branches of the internal iliac artery
What artery supplies the ovary?
Ovarian artery
What is the ovarian artery a direct branch of?
The abdominal aorta and contributes to the blood supply of the uterine tubes
What is the vulva?
Collective term for all parts of the female external genitalia
What is the blood supply to the vulva via?
The internal pudendal arteries (branches of the internal
iliac arteries)