Female Pelvic Anatomy and Ultrasound Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering female pelvic anatomy, ultrasound terminology, vasculature, potential spaces, and congenital Müllerian duct anomalies.

Cranial

Anatomical directional term meaning towards the head, used in relation to the whole body.

Caudal

Anatomical directional term meaning towards the feet, used in relation to the whole body.

Superior (Organ Specific)

Directional term indicating towards the upper part or head end of a specific organ structure.

Inferior (Organ Specific)

Directional term indicating away from the head or lower part of a specific organ structure.

Proximal

Directional term meaning nearer to the origin or point of attachment to the limb.

Distal

Directional term meaning further from the origin or point of attachment to the limb.

Medial

Directional term meaning nearer to the midline of the body.

Lateral

Directional term meaning farther from the midline of the body.

Pelvic Midline Structures

Primary pelvic organs situated along the midline: the urinary bladder, vagina, and uterus.

Adnexal Structures

Structures located adjacent to the uterus, including the fallopian tubes, ovaries, pelvic muscles, and pelvic bones.

Trigone of the Bladder

A small triangular area at the floor of the bladder lined with smooth mucosa, containing two ureteral openings and one urethral opening.

Acoustic Window

The role played by a distended urinary bladder during ultrasound, which displaces gas-filled bowel and improves visualization of pelvic structures by pushing the uterus into a more vertical orientation.

Optimal Bladder Fullness

The state during pelvic ultrasound where the dome (superior part) of the urinary bladder extends just past the fundus (superior part) of the uterus.

Bladder Volume Formula

The calculation used to measure urinary bladder volume: $\text{SAG} \times \text{TRX} \times \text{AP} \times 0.52 = V \text{ in } \text{cm}^3\text{ or }\text{mL}$.

Post-Void Residual Volume Standard

The normal remaining urine volume after micturition, which should be $\le 10\%$ of the pre-void volume.

Ureters

Long muscular tubes transporting urine from the kidneys to the bladder, terminating at orifices located on the posterior-inferior bladder wall.

Urethra (Ultrasound Appearance)

A muscular canal extending from the bladder to the exterior of the body, appearing on ultrasound as a small hypoechoic structure anterior to the vagina.

Uterine Fundus

The rounded, superior, and widest segment of the uterus.

Uterine Isthmus

The flexible, narrow segment of the uterus situated between the uterine body and the cervix.

Uterine Cervix

The most inferior, cylindrical portion of the uterus that connects to the upper vagina.

Uterine Version

The anatomical orientation or tipping of the entire uterus relative to the axis of the vagina (e.g., anteverted or retroverted).

Uterine Flexion

The bending of the uterine body relative to the cervix at the level of the isthmus (e.g., anteflexed or retroflexed).

Zona Basalis

The deep layer of the endometrium that remains intact during menstruation and generates the new functional layer for the next cycle.

Zona Functionalis

The superficial endometrial layer that thickens in response to hormones and sheds during menstruation.

Fornices of the Cervix

Recesses formed where the distal cervix projects into the lumen of the superior vagina.

Cervical Stroma Shadowing

A characteristic ultrasound landmark consisting of vertical acoustic shadows behind the cervix, caused by sound wave attenuation in dense fibrous connective tissue.

Vagina

A muscular collapsed tube measuring approximately $9\,\text{cm}$ in length, oriented at roughly a $90^\circ$ angle to the cervix, with a posterior wall longer than its anterior wall.

Fallopian Tube Parts

The four anatomical sections of the fallopian tube (from uterine wall to ovary): Interstitial (intramural), Isthmus, Ampulla, and Infundibulum with fimbriae.

Fossa of Waldeyer (Ovarian Fossa)

The peritoneal depression on the lateral pelvic wall where the ovary resides, positioned medial to the external iliac vessels and anterior to the internal iliac vessels.

Ovarian Cortex

The outer layer of the ovary containing primary follicles at various stages of development, surrounded by the tunica albuginea.

Ovarian Medulla

The inner core of the ovary containing blood vessels, nerves, lymphatics, and supportive connective tissue.

Ovarian Volume Formula

The mathematical formula for calculating ovarian volume: $\text{Length} \times \text{Width} \times \text{Height} \times 0.52 = \text{Volume in } \text{cm}^3$.

Arcuate Arteries

Branches of the uterine artery that course circumferentially within the outer myometrium.

Radial Arteries

Arterial branches that arise from the arcuate arteries and penetrate inward into the deep myometrium toward the endometrium.

Straight Arteries

Small endometrial arteries that supply blood specifically to the stable zona basalis layer.

Spiral Arteries

Coiled endometrial arteries that supply the zona functionalis and undergo hormonal changes, shedding during menses.

Dual Ovarian Blood Supply

The dual collateral arterial network supplying the ovary, provided directly by the ovarian arteries (from the aorta) and indirectly by branches of the uterine arteries.

Ovarian Venous Drainage

Asymmetric venous pathway where the right ovarian vein drains directly into the Inferior Vena Cava (IVC), while the left ovarian vein drains first into the left renal vein.

Posterior Cul-de-Sac (Pouch of Douglas)

The peritoneal potential space located between the rectum and the posterior wall of the uterus.

Anterior Cul-de-Sac (Vesicouterine Pouch)

The peritoneal potential space located between the urinary bladder and the anterior surface of the uterus.

Space of Retzius

An extraperitoneal space (prevesical or retropubic space) located between the anterior bladder wall and the pubic bone, containing fat and connective tissue.

Bony Pelvis Structure

The bony framework composed of four bones: the sacrum, coccyx, and two innominate bones (each formed by the fusion of ilium, ischium, and pubis).

Symphysis Pubis

The midline cartilaginous joint joining the right and left pubic bones, serving as the most anterior landmark of the bony pelvis.

False Pelvis (Pelvis Major)

The region superior to the pelvic brim containing the ileum, sigmoid colon, and the psoas and iliacus muscles.

True Pelvis (Pelvis Minor)

The space inferior to the pelvic brim enclosed by bone, containing the bladder, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina, and rectum.

Pelvic Floor (Pelvic Diaphragm)

A muscular sheet supporting pelvic organs, formed by the levator ani muscle group (pubococcygeus, puborectalis, iliococcygeus) and the coccygeus muscle.

Broad Ligament

A wide fold of peritoneum extending from the sides of the uterus to the lateral pelvic walls, maintaining uterine alignment and preventing anterior displacement of the ovaries.

Müllerian Ducts (Paramesonephric Ducts)

Paired embryonic ducts that fuse caudally-to-cephalically to form the fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, and superior vagina.

Wolffian Ducts (Mesonephric Ducts)

Embryonic ducts that form male reproductive structures in the presence of Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) and regress in female embryos (occasionally leaving Gartner's duct cysts).

Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) Syndrome

A congenital anomaly caused by complete bilateral arrest of Müllerian duct development, resulting in uterine agenesis and upper vaginal absence.

Unicornuate Uterus

A congenital anomaly resulting from partial development of only one Müllerian duct, often accompanied by a rudimentary horn.

Uterus Didelphys

A congenital malformation caused by complete failure of Müllerian duct fusion, resulting in two distinct uterine bodies, two cervices, and two upper vaginal canals.

Bicornuate Uterus

A congenital anomaly caused by partial failure of Müllerian duct fusion, characterized by an external fundal indentation and two distinct uterine horns.

Septate Uterus

A congenital anomaly caused by failure of Müllerian septum resorption, featuring a smooth external fundal contour and an internal fibrous septum dividing the endometrial cavity.

Arcuate Uterus

A normal variant resulting from partial resorption of the Müllerian septum, marked by a mild concave indentation of the superior endometrial cavity with a normal external fundus.

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Exposure

In utero exposure to synthetic estrogen prescribed between the 1940s and 1971, causing T-shaped uterine malformations, reproductive complications, and clear cell carcinoma of the vagina and cervix in female offspring.