Generality
The fallopian tubes - also known as salpingi, uterine tubes or uterine thrombus - are two hollow organs belonging to the female genital apparatus. Of tubular shape, they are about 7-8 cm long, with a diameter ranging from 1 to 2mm.
Each fallopian tube is fixed with one end to the sides of the upper part of the uterus, while the opposite extreme is placed in close proximity to the ovary, wrapping it from above like a funnel.
The term fallopian tube comes from Gabriele Falloppio, a botanist and anatomist of the sixteenth century who first described its exact structure.
FUNCTIONS OF THE FALLOPPIO TUBES
The purpose of the uterine tubes is to collect the egg cell produced by the ovary and to channel it to the uterus where the fertilized egg will be implanted. In fact, it is during the journey between the ovary and the uterus that the egg cell has the possibility of being fertilized by a spermatozoon.
For this reason, a method - rather drastic - for birth control consists in tubal ligation: through a small surgical intervention the doctor "surgically seals" the tubes (applying a clip), thus preventing the sperm from reaching the egg cell ampoule (see below).
Anatomy
- infundibulum : it is so called the end, in the shape of a funnel (or trumpet), with which the uterine tube surrounds the supero-lateral region of the ovary
- fimbriae : digitiform projections, similar to soft bristles, present in the free edge of the infundibulum; they have the task of collecting the oocyte expelled from the ovary and of channeling it into the tube;
- ampulla : expansion of the fallopian tube that continues laterally in the infundibulum and medially in the isthmus; this is the preferential site where fertilization takes place (in particular in the lateral third of the ampullary tract);
- isthmus : it is the narrowest region of the tuba, which on one side opens into the uterus (in the upper part of the organ, at the border between the bottom and the body) and on the other hand it widens to form the ampulla, which tends to increase progressively in diameter towards the infundibulum.
Histology
The uterine tubes are lined internally with a layer of mucosa that forms many longitudinal folds, rather high, which in infundibular and ampullary portions reduce the lumen of the organ to thin slits.
The mucosa is lined with a ciliated pseudostratified cylindrical epithelium, with intercalated muciform goblet cells. It is an epithelium analogous to that of the bronchi and respiratory tract; in fact, while in the airways the eyelashes retain the dust and facilitate the expulsion of the mucus produced by the muciparous cells, at the salpingi level the cilia favor the progression of the oocyte towards the uterus, while the mucus protects the delicate structure.
The movement of transport of the egg is also favored by the smooth musculature of the organ, organized in a circular inner and longitudinal outer layer; this allows to give rise to peristaltic movements that favor the progression of the oocyte towards the uterus.
Diseases of the salpingi
The main diseases affecting the fallopian tubes are:
- salpingitis: inflammation of salpingi, often linked to infectious processes of the sexually transmitted uterus or fecal contamination;
- pelvic inflammatory disease: if the inflammatory process becomes chronic (persists for a long time), scar tissue forms inside the tubes, which - in addition to causing various disorders - significantly compromises the fertility of the woman;
- tubal pregnancy: it can happen that the fertilized egg is implanted in the uterine tube, starting its development here; this form of extrauterine pregnancy must be adequately monitored pending spontaneous abortion and treated promptly to prevent complications such as tubal rupture.
