ANATOMY, FEMALE GENITALIA
Model of the internal anatomy of an adult female genitourinary tract (anterior view of a median section). The urinary bladder and the uterus lie in front of the rectum, terminal segment of the large intestine which opens on the anus. The urinary bladder wall is mainly composed of the bladder muscle (in orange-red), the contraction of which enables urine evacuation through the urethra. The inner surface of this muscle is covered by a mucous membrane (in orange) with many folds. Located above the urinary bladder, the uterus includes three tissue layers: the perimetrium (peripheral, in white, highly vascularized tissue derived from the peritoneum), the myometrium (middle layer with muscles, in red-orange) and the endometrium, covering the uterine cavity (in orange). The perimetrium extends anteriorly to cover the bladder while forming a pouch, the vesicouterine pouch, and posteriorly to cover the rectum, forming the pouch of Douglas. The cervix, at the lower part of the uterus, opens into the vagina. The ovary (in flesh color) is held in place by several ligaments, of which the broad ligament of the uterus (bound to the ovaries through a peritoneum fold called the mesovarium) is visible here. The ovary surface is bumpy due to the underlying Graafian follicles. The rectovaginal septum (in white) separates the cervix and the vagina from the rectum. The sigmoid colon ends in a bend and continues with the rectum. The latter is composed of two segments: the rectal ampulla in its upper part, for storing feces, and the anal canal, not visible here, ending in the anus. The rectal ampulla makes curves, giving rise to folds of the inner rectal mucosa: the rectal valves. It also has vertical folds known as the anal columns. The rectal wall includes three tissue layers: an outer muscularis (in orange-red), made up of muscle fibers enabling defecation, a middle layer of submucosa and an inner mucosa (in orange). The rectum is covered by a serosa (in white).
Size: 3630px × 2365px
Photo credit: © GOUNOT/3B SCIENTIFIC / BSIP / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ampulla, ampullae, ampullas, anal, anatomical, anatomy, apparatus, bowel, colon, colonic, colons, column, columns, digesting, digestion, digestive, enteric, enteron, excrete, excretion, excretory, female, flexure, fold, folds, gastrointestinal, genital, genitalia, gi, gut, intestinal, intestine, intestines, large, lining, membrane, membranes, morgagni, mucosa, mucous, organs, pelvic, peritoneum, rectal, rectum, sigmoid, system, track, tract, tube, valve, valves, wall, walls
