Narrow pelvis Flashcards
Anal Canal - Description Features
• The anal canal measures ~4cm long
• Continuous with the rectum at the anorectal junction (which is the right angle the rectum takes at levator ani)
• Anal canal is a circular muscular tube and has external and internal anal sphincters
• Anal canal ends at the anus
• Dentate (pectinate) line separates the anal canal into an upper and lower parts
o in structure and neurovascular supply (reflecting the differing embryological origin)
o dentate line is a “watershed area”
o above the dentate line the epithelium is a mucous membrane
o below the dentate line the epithelium is considered cutaneous (ie. stratified squamous keratinised)
Anal Canal - neurovaculature
Arterial Supply:
• Above dentate line
o superior rectal artery (from inferior mesenteric artery)
• Below dentate line
o inferior rectal artery (from internal pudendal artery)
o middle rectal artery (from inferior vesical artery)
Venous drainage:
• Above dentate line: superior rectal vein to inferior mesenteric vein (portal venous system)
• Below dentate line: inferior and middle rectal veins to internal iliac veins
Nerve supply:
• Above dentate line: inferior hypogastric plexus
• Below dentate line: inferior rectal branches of the pudendal nerve
Lymphatic drainage:
• Above dentate line: internal iliac nodes
• Below dentate line: superficial inguinal nodes
Anal Canal - variant anatomy
Variant anatomy:
• Imperforate anus
o 1 in 1500-5000 newborns
o failure of the bowel to open to the external world
o may vary from stenosis to blind anal canal/rectum to absent anal canal
Anal Triangle - Description
- Posterior part of the perineum
* Contains the anal canal
Anal Triangle - Boundaries
- Posterior: coccyx bone
- Lateral: ischial tuberosities
- Anterior: perineal membrane
- Posterolateral: sacrotuberous ligaments
Anal Triangle - Contents
- Ischioanal fossa
- Anococcygeal body
- Sacrotuberous ligament
- Sacrospinous ligament
- Pudendal nerve
- Internal pudendal artery and vein
- Anal canal
- Muscles: external anal sphincter, gluteus maximus, obturator internus, levator ani, coccygeus
Epididymis - Description
• Lies upon the lateral edge of the posterior border of the testes
• Parts: head, body and tail (which is continuous with the ductus deferens)
o head located at superior pole and may contain a small projection called the appendix of the epididymis
o tail located at the inferior pole
• The head is connected with the upper end of the testis by efferent ductules
• Between the body and the testis is the sinus of the epididymis
• Primary function is the collection, maturation and transport of sperm via the vas deferens
o seminiferous tubules carry the sperm via tubuli recti into rete testes
o rete testes drains into the epididymis via efferent ductules
o efferent ductules open into the head of the epididymis and unite to form a single duct in the body/tail which continues as the ductus deferens
Epididymis - Neurovasculature
Arterial supply: • Artery of vas Venous drainage: • Pampiniform plexus to testicular vein Lymphatic drainage: • Para-aortic lymph nodes (L2) Nerve supply: • Sympathetic: coeliac ganglion
Epididymis - Embryology
- The epididymis is derived from mesonephric ducts which form the epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicle and ejaculatory duct
- The appendix epididymis is vestigial remnant of mesonephric duct
Gonadal veins - Description/course
- Gonadal veins are paired structures that drain the testicles in males and ovaries in females
- Gonadal veins ascend with the gonadal arteries in the abdomen along the psoas muscle anterior to the ureters (retroperitoneal)
Gonadal veins - ovarian veins
o ovarian veins arises from the left and right ovarian plexus (which is continuous with the uterine plexus) and lies lateral to the ureters
o ascends anterior to psoas and parallels the ureter, in the suspensory ligament of the ovary
o crosses the ureter halfway through its course
o right empties into the IVC and left drains into the left renal vein
Gonadal veins - testicular veins
o veins of the testes and epididymis form the pampiniform plexus
which ascends to form four veins at the level of the superficial inguinal ring
then a single testicular vein at the level of the deep inguinal ring
o ascends through the inguinal canal in the spermatic cord
o testicular vein ascends in the retroperitoneum on psoas major
o variable communications with retroperitoneal veins, abdominal wall veins and renal capsular veins
o left drains into the left renal vein, right drains into IVC just below the renal vein
o 90 degree insertion of left testicular vein into left renal vein make left varicocoele more common in left
Gonadal veins - relations
- Posterior: psoas major, crosses ureter
- Anterior: left (sigmoid colon, descending colon), right (caecum, ascending colon)
- Lateral: ureter (upper part), kidney
- Medial: ureter (lower part), aorta, SVC
- Testicular veins are related to structures within spermatic cord
Gonadal veins - variants
- Gonadal vein is often duplicated, more commonly on the left (~13%) than on the right (~2%)
- Right gonadal vein drains into right renal vein
Sciatic Foraminae - Description
- Foramen within the pelvis and is a major conduit of neurovascular structures from the pelvis to the lower limb
- Divided into the greater and lesser sciatic foramen by the sacrotuberous ligament which runs between the sacrum and the ischial tuberosity and the sacrospinous ligament which runs between the sacrum and the ischial spine
Greater sciatic foramen - boundaries
o Anterolateral: Greater sciatic notch of the ilium
o Posteromedial: Sacrotuberous ligament
o Inferior: Sacrospinous ligament
o Superior: Anterior sacroilliac ligament
Lesser sciatic foramen - boundaries
o Anterior: Tuberosity of the ischium
o Superior: Spine of the ischium and sacrospinous ligament
o Posterior: Sacrotuberous ligament
Greater sciatic foramen - Contents
o Piriformis exits the pelvis through the Greater sciatic foramen occupies most of the foramen o Above the Piriformis superior gluteal artery and vein superior gluteal nerve o Below the Piriformis → 7 nerves, 3 vessel sets (artery + vein) (mnemonic = I PIN PINS) inferior gluteal nerve pudendal nerve inferior gluteal artery and vein nerve to obturator internus posterior femoral cutaneous nerve internal pudendal artery and vein nerve to quadratus femoris sciatic nerve
Lesser sciatic foramen - Contents
o pudendal nerve
o internal pudendal vessels
o nerve to the obturator internus
o tendon of the obturator internus
Inguinal Canal - description/features
• Inguinal canal is a passage in the anterior abdominal wall that transmits structures from the pelvis to the perineum
• It has an oblique course which is 4cm in length
• There are two openings:
o deep inguinal ring
round opening in the transversalis fascia
1cm superior to the inguinal ligament, 1cm lateral to the inferior epigastric arteries
o superficial inguinal ring
V-shaped opening in the external oblique aponeurosis
superior and medial to the pubic tubercle
Inguinal Canal - walls
- Roof: internal oblique muscle, transversus abdominis muscle
- Floor: inguinal ligament, lacunar ligament (medial third)
- Anterior wall: external oblique aponeurosis, internal oblique aponeurosis
- Posterior wall: tranversalis fascia, conjoint tendon (internal oblique and transversus abdominis aponeurosis inserts into the pubic crest and pectineal line)
Inguinal Canal - contents Female
o round ligament + ilioinguinal nerve
Inguinal Canal - contents male
o spermatic cord + ilioinguinal nerve
3 arteries: artery to ductus deferens, testicular artery, cremasteric artery
3 fascial layers: external spermatic (continuation of external oblique aponeurosis), cremasteric fascia (continuation of internal oblique aponeurosis), internal spermatic fascia (continuation of transversalis fascia)
tunica vaginalis is continuation of the peritoneum (processus vaginalis)
3 other structures: pampiniform plexus, ductus deferens, testicular lymphatics
3 nerves: genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve (L1/2), sympathetic and visceral afferent fibres, ilioinguinal nerve
ilioinguinal nerve lies outside spermatic cord but travels next to it
Inguinal Ligament - description featuers
- Fibrous band extending from the ASIS to the pubic tubercule
- Denotes the transition of the pelvis to the lower limb
- Formed by the lower border of the external oblique aponeurosis which is thickened and folded in on itself
- Lateral half runs obliquely while the medial half is almost horizontal
- Forms floor of the inguinal canal
- Forms base of Hesselbach triangle
- Continuous with the fascia lata of the thigh
- Also known as Poupart’s ligament
Inguinal Ligament - attachments
• ASIS
• Pubic tubercle
• Some fibres attach elsewhere
o superior pubic ramus forming the lacunar ligament (of Gimbernat)
o fibres that run with the lacunar ligament continue to pass more laterally to attach to the pecten pubis forming pectineal ligament (of Cooper)
o superior fibres run past the pubic tubercle to fuse with those of the contralateral external oblique aponeurosis forming the reflected inguinal ligament
• Upper surface gives origin to the cremaster muscle from its medial part
• Internal oblique muscle from the lateral two-thirds
• Transversus abdominis muscle from its lateral one-third
Inguinal Ligament - relations
• Structures passing through inguinal canal (spermatic cord in males, round ligament of the uterus in females)
• Inferior epigastric vessels
• Deep (retroinguinal passage / subinguinal space)
o iliopsoas muscle
o femoral artery and vein and nerve
o lymphatic channels draining inguinal lymph nodes
• Lateral: deep circumflex iliac artery
Internal Iliac artery - description
• Internal Iliac Artery is the artery that supplies the pelvic walls, pelvic viscera, external genitalia, the perineum, buttock and medial part of the thigh
Internal Iliac artery - origin
• Common iliac artery bifurcates into the internal iliac artery and external iliac artery at the level of the pelvic brim anterior to the sacroiliac joint
Internal Iliac artery - Course/relations
- Courses posteromedially towards the greater sciatic foramen
- Approximately 4 cm in length
- At the superior margin of the greater sciatic foramen it divides into an anterior and posterior division
- Anterior division continues down to the ischial spine anterior to piriformis giving off visceral and parietal branches
- Posterior division only gives rise to parietal branches
Internal Iliac artery - branches
o I: iliolumbar artery - psoas and iliacus
o L: lateral sacral artery - sacral canal and muscle of the back
o G: gluteal (superior and inferior) arteries
o P: (internal) pudendal artery - external genitalia, one of two terminal branches of internal iliac artery
o I: inferior vesical artery - fundus of the bladder, the prostate, and the seminal vesicles; artery to the ductus deferens is a branch
o M: middle rectal artery - rectum, usually arises from the inferior vesical artery
o V: vaginal artery (females) - usually arises from uterine artery
o O: obturator artery - divides into an anterior and posterior branch, supplied pelvic walls
o U: umbilical artery - gives rise to superior vesical artery
o U: uterine artery - runs lateral to the cervix, crosses in front of the ureter, ascends between the two layers of the broad ligament to the junction of the uterine tube and uterus
Internal Iliac artery - relations
- Anteriorly: ureter, ovary, uterine tube
- Posteriorly: internal iliac vein, lumbosacral trunk, sacroiliac joint
- Medially: peritoneum
- Laterally: external iliac vein, obturator nerve
Internal Iliac artery - variants
ommon iliac artery is absent and internal and external iliac arteries arise from the aorta (<1%)
• All arteries branch from one main stem of the internal iliac artery (10%)
• The internal iliac divides into two main stems which give off the other branches (60%)
• The internal iliac divides into three main stems which give off the other branches (20%)
• The internal iliac divides into four or more main stems which give off the other branches (10%)
• High division of internal iliac (higher than pelvic brim)
Branches of the internal pudendal artery
- Inferior rectal artery
- Artery of the bulb of the penis / vestibule
- Perineal artery
- Posterior scrotal / labial branches
- Deep artery of the penis / clitoris
- Dorsal artery of the penis / clitoris
Ischioanal fossa - description
• The ischioanal fossa is a paired triangular-shaped space lateral to the anal canal
• Fat filled space in the perineum
• The apex is directed anteromedially towards the pubic symphysis
• Each ischioanal fossa is separated from the other by the anococcygeal body
o fibrous median raphe in the floor of the pelvis which extends between the coccyx and the anus
• They communicate superior to anococcygeal body and posterior to the anal canal
Ischioanal fossa - boundaries
- Roof - levator ani muscle
- Floor - deep transverse perineal fascia, skin
- Medial wall - external anal sphincter, levator ani muscle
- Lateral wall - ischial tuberosity, obturator internus muscle, obturator fascia
- Apex - intersection of levator ani and obturator internus muscle
- Base - sacrotuberous ligament, gluteus maximus muscle
Ischioanal fossa - contents
• Inside Alcock’s canal (on the lateral wall)
o internal pudendal artery
o internal pudendal vein
o pudendal nerve
• Outside Alcock’s canal (crossing the space transversely)
o inferior rectal artery
o inferior rectal veins
o inferior anal nerves
o fatty tissue across which numerous fibrous bands extend from side to side
Levator ani - description
• Levator ani is a musculotendinous sheet that forms the majority of the pelvic floor (other component is the coccygeus muscles)
• Three main components (each of which is paired)
o iliococcygeus muscle
o pubococcygeus muscle
subparts: puboperineal, pubovaginal, puboanal
o puborectalis muscle
Levator ani - origin
- Iliococcygeus: arises from the posterior part of the tendinous arch / obturator internus fascia and ischial spine
- Pubococcygeus: inner surface of the pubis, anterior part of the tendinous arch / fascia of the obturator internus
- Puborectalis: arises from the inner surface of the pubic bone
- Coccygeus: ischial spine/lig
Levator ani - insertion
- Iliococcygeus: coccyx/anococcygeal lig+raphe
- Pubococcygeus: coccyx/anococcygeal lig+raphe
- Puborectailis: unites behind the anorectal junction to form a sling
Levator ani - action
- Supports the pelvic viscera
- Aids in urinary and fecal evacuation
- Maintains continence