Narrow pelvis Flashcards
(101 cards)
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