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Fallopian Tube

 
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The Fallopian tubes, named after Gabriel Fallopius (Gabriello Fallopio), also known as oviducts, uterine tubes, and salpinges (singular salpinx) are two very fine tubes lined with ciliated epithelia, leading from the ovaries of female mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s into the uterus
Uterus

The uterus is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals, including humans. It is within the uterus that the fetus develops during gestation....
.

e are two Fallopian tubes attached to either side of the cornual end of the uterus at the axilla of Welch.






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The Fallopian tubes, named after Gabriel Fallopius (Gabriello Fallopio), also known as oviducts, uterine tubes, and salpinges (singular salpinx) are two very fine tubes lined with ciliated epithelia, leading from the ovaries of female mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s into the uterus
Uterus

The uterus is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals, including humans. It is within the uterus that the fetus develops during gestation....
.

Anatomy

There are two Fallopian tubes attached to either side of the cornual end of the uterus at the axilla of Welch. Each terminates at or near one ovary forming a structure called the fimbria
Fimbria (female reproductive system)

In the female reproductive system, the fimbria is a fringe of tissue around the ostium of Fallopian tube, in the direction of the ovary.An ovary is not directly connected to its adjacent Fallopian tube....
.

The Fallopian tubes are not directly attached to the ovaries, but open into the peritoneal cavity
Peritoneum

In higher vertebrates, the peritoneum is the serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdomen — it covers most of the intra-abdominal organs....
 (essentially the inside of the abdomen); they thus form a direct communication between the peritoneal cavity and the outside via the vagina.

In human
Human

A human being, also human or man, is a member of a species of bipedalism primates in the family Hominidae . Mitochondrial DNA evidence indicates that modern humans originated in east Africa about 200,000 years ago....
s, the Fallopian tubes are about 7–14 cm long.

If a Fallopian Tube is missing from the pair, then the other fallopian tube that is functional could still be a way of carrying an egg down to the uterus.

Regions

There are four regions of the fallopian tube from the ovary to the uterus:
  • Infundibulum
    Infundibulum of uterine tube

    The third part of the uterine tube is the infundibulum. It terminates with the ostium of Fallopian tube, surrounded by fimbriae, one of which, the ovarian fimbria is attached to the ovary....
     - contains fimbria
    Fimbria (female reproductive system)

    In the female reproductive system, the fimbria is a fringe of tissue around the ostium of Fallopian tube, in the direction of the ovary.An ovary is not directly connected to its adjacent Fallopian tube....
  • Ampulla
    Ampulla of uterine tube

    The ampulla is the second portion of the uterine tube. It is an intermediate dilated portion, which curves over the ovary.It is the most common site of human fertilization....
     - usual site of fertilization
  • Isthmus
    Isthmus of uterine tube

    The first part of the uterine tube is the isthmus tubae uterinae. It is the medial third, and it is constricted.External links...
  • Intramural oviduct - inside wall of uterus


Histology

There are three layers of the fallopian tube:

  • Mucosa - the distinctive folds of the mucosa are the most unusual feature. The folds contain ciliated cells and "peg cells". The region of the fallopian tube can be approximated by looking at the mucosa, because the folds are most elaborate at the ampulla and almost nonexistent at the intramural portion.
  • Muscularis externa
  • Serosa


Motility

The Fallopian tubes are mobile, and have been observed on time-lapse
Time-lapse

Time-lapse photography is a cinematography technique whereby each film frame is captured at a rate much slower than it will be played back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing....
 videography moving about the pelvis.

Although anatomical illustrations have them proceeding from the uterine horns
Uterine horns

The uterine horns are the points where the uterus and the uterine tubes meet.It is one of the points of attachment for the round ligament of uterus ....
 to the ovary, this is not the case for most of the menstrual cycle
Menstrual cycle

The menstrual cycle is a recurring cycle of physiology changes that occurs in reproductive-age females. Overt menstruation occurs primarily in humans and close evolutionary relatives such as chimpanzees....
, and a tube may cross to the other side or lie on top of the uterus.

Function in fertilization

When an ovum
Ovum

An ovum is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. Both animals and embryophytes have ova. The term ovule is used for the young ovum of an animal, as well as the plant structure that carries the female gametophyte and egg cell and develops into a seed after fertilization....
 is developing in an ovary, it is encapsulated in a sac known as an ovarian follicle
Ovarian follicle

Ovarian follicle is the basic unit of female reproductive biology and is composed of roughly spherical aggregations of cell s found in the ovary....
.

On maturity of the ovum, the follicle and the ovary's wall rupture, allowing the ovum to escape and enter the Fallopian tube. There it travels toward the uterus
Uterus

The uterus is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals, including humans. It is within the uterus that the fetus develops during gestation....
, pushed along by movements of cilia on the inner lining of the tubes. This trip takes hours or days. If the ovum is fertilized
Fertilisation

Fertilisation , is the fusion of gametes to produce a new organism. In animals, the process involves a sperm fusing with an ovum, which eventually leads to the development of an embryo....
 while in the Fallopian tube, then it normally implants in the endometrium
Endometrium

The endometrium is the inner membrane of the mammalian uterus....
 when it reaches the uterus, which signals the beginning of pregnancy
Pregnancy

Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside the uterus of a female. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or Multiple birth....
.

Occasionally the embryo implants into the Fallopian tube instead of the uterus
Uterus

The uterus is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals, including humans. It is within the uterus that the fetus develops during gestation....
, creating an ectopic pregnancy
Ectopic pregnancy

An ectopic pregnancy is a complication of pregnancy in which the Fertilisationd ovum is implanted in any tissue other than the uterus wall. Most ectopic pregnancies occur in the Fallopian tube , but implantation can also occur in the cervix, ovary, and abdomen....
, commonly known as a "tubal pregnancy".

Embryology and homology

The Fallopian tubes are not homologous
Homology (biology)

In evolutionary biology, homology refers to any similarity between characteristics that is due to their common descent. The word homologous derives from the ancient Greek ??????e??, 'to agree'....
 to the vas deferens
Vas deferens

The vas deferens , also called ductus deferens, is part of the male anatomy of some species; they transport sperm from the epididymis in anticipation of ejaculation....
 or any other structure in males.

Embryo
Embryo

An embryo is a multicellular organism ploidy eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, Egg , or germination....
s have two pairs of ducts to let gamete
Gamete

A gamete is a Cell that fuses with another gamete during fertilization in organisms that sexual reproduction. In species which produce two morphologically distinct types of gametes, and in which each individual produces only one type, a female is any individual which produces the larger type of gamete?called an ovum ?and a male produces th...
s out of the body; one pair (the Müllerian duct
Müllerian duct

The M?llerian ducts are paired ducts of the embryo which run down the lateral sides of the urogenital ridge and terminate at the mullerian tubercle in the primitive urogenital sinus....
s) develops in females into the Fallopian tubes, uterus and vagina
Vagina

The vagina is a fibromuscular cylinder tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles....
, while the other pair (the Wolffian duct
Wolffian duct

The Wolffian duct is a paired Organ found in mammals including humans during embryogenesis.It connects the primitive kidney Wolffian body to the cloaca and serves as the anlage for certain male reproductive organs....
s) develops in males into the epididymis
Epididymis

The epididymis is part of the male reproductive system and is present in all male mammals. It is a narrow, tightly-coiled tube connecting the efferent ducts from the rear of each testicle to its vas deferens....
 and vas deferens.

Normally, only one of the pairs of tubes will develop while the other regresses and disappears in the utero.

Pathology

Pelvic inflammatory disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease is a generic term for inflammation of the female uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries as it progresses to scar formation with Adhesion to nearby tissues and organs....
 can strike the fallopian tubes. This might cause a Fallopian tube obstruction
Fallopian tube obstruction

Fallopian tube obstruction is a cause of female tubal infertility. The fallopian tubes are unable to let the ovum and the sperm converge, thus making fertilization impossible....
. Fallopian tube cancer
Fallopian tube cancer

Primary fallopian tube cancer , often just tubal cancer, is a malignant neoplasm that originates from the fallopian tube....
 is a rare neoplasm that can arise from the epithelial lining of the Fallopian tube. This cancer is sometimes misdiagnosed as ovarian cancer . However, treatment of both ovarian and Fallopian tube cancer is similar.

Surgery

The surgical removal of a Fallopian tube is called a salpingectomy
Salpingectomy

Salpingectomy refers to the surgical removal of a Fallopian tube....
. To remove both sides is a bilateral salpingectomy. An operation that combines the removal of a Fallopian tube with removal of at least one ovary is a salpingo-oophorectomy. An operation to restore a fallopian tube obstruction is called a tuboplasty
Tuboplasty

A tuboplasty is a surgical operation to correct a fallopian tube obstruction or adhesion, to achieve a pregnancy in women with tubal infertility....
.

Etymology and nomenclature

They are named after their discoverer, the 16th century Italian
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 anatomist, Gabriele Falloppio
Gabriele Falloppio

Gabriele Falloppio , often known by his Latin name Fallopius, was one of the most important human anatomy and physicians of the sixteenth century....
.

Though the name 'Fallopian tube' is eponymous, some texts spell it with a lower case 'f' from the assumption that the adjective 'fallopian' has been absorbed into modern English as the de facto name for the structure.

The Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
 word salpinx
Salpinx

A salpinx was a trumpet-like instrument of the ancient Greeks. ...
 (sa?p???) means "trumpet
Trumpet

The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest Register in the brass instrument family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC....
".

Additional images


Image:Gray1165.png|pelvis and its contents, seen from side view

See also

  • Pelvic inflammatory disease
    Pelvic inflammatory disease

    Pelvic inflammatory disease is a generic term for inflammation of the female uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries as it progresses to scar formation with Adhesion to nearby tissues and organs....
  • Menstrual cycle
    Menstrual cycle

    The menstrual cycle is a recurring cycle of physiology changes that occurs in reproductive-age females. Overt menstruation occurs primarily in humans and close evolutionary relatives such as chimpanzees....


External links