Chapter 9: Normal Anatomy of the Female Pelvis

• Pouch of Douglas

  Posterior cul-de-sac; potential space between the rectum and uterus
• Corpora albicantia


  Fibrous tissue that replaces the corpus luteum
• True pelvis


  lesser/minor pelvis; portion of the pelvic cavity inferior and posterior to the pelvic brim
• Follicular atresia

  Degeneration and reabsorption of the follicle before maturity
• Serosa


  Serous membrane enclosing an organ that often excretes lubricating serous fluid
• Iliopsoas muscle


  Combination of the psoas major, psoas minor, and iliacus muscles
• Linea terminalis


  Innominate line; line drawn from the pubic crest to the arcuate line dividing the true and false pelvis
• Anterior cul-de-sac:

  Vesicouterine recess; potential space between the uterus and urinary bladder
• Hypertrophy:

  Increase in size
• Fundus


  Latin anatomical term referring to the portion of an organ opposite from its opening
• Space of Retzius

  Properitoneal; space between pubic symphysis and urinary bladder
• Contralateral:

  On the opposite side
• Orthogonal:

  At right angles (perpendicular)
• Iliopectineal line:

  Pelvic brim or linea terminalis; inner surface of the pubic and ilium bones contains a bony ridge that serves as the line dividing the true and false pelvis
• False pelvis:

  greater or major pelvis; area superior to and anterior to the pelvic brim
• Ipsilateral:

  on the same side
• Follicle Stimulating Hormone:

  Hormone that stimulates growth and maturation of the ovarian Graafian follicle; secreted by anterior pituitary gland
• What sonographic method uses higher frequency transducers and markedly increases resolution of most pelvic structures?

  EVS
• What anatomic structure can EV imaging easily identify?

  Ovaries
• What bones comprise the pelvic skeleton?

  Coccyx, sacrum, and two innominate bones
• The rectus muscle is seen mostly in the lower abdomen in what shape ?

  Ovoid shape
• The cross sectional shape of the iliopsoas muscle appears on ultrasound as what ?

  hook with bulbous medial limb
• The Space of Retzius is located where ?

  Between the urinary bladder and symphysis pubis
• What are the anterior artifact echoes in the urinary bladder called ?

  Wall reverberation
• On sonograms, the muscular walls of the vagina produce a moderately ____ pattern typical of smooth muscle.

  hypoechoic
• What are the uterine segments ?

  Fundus, corpus, isthmus, and cervix
• What is the lateral portion of the uterus ?

  Corpus
• The uterine layer not seen in ultrasound is what ?

  Serosa (Perimetrium)
• A uterus in a female infant would appear:

  Cylindrical
• Cysts of the cervix are caused by occluded cervical glands and known as:

  Nabothian cysts
• The length of the adult nulliparous uterus is approximately:

  8 cm
• On ultrasound, the cervix visualizes as a cylinder like structure measuring from:

  2.5 - 3.5 cm in length and 2.5 cm in width
• Mittelschmerz is pain associated with what ?

  Ovulation
• One branch of the internal iliac artery is of importance to sonographers because it is accessible to Doppler evaluation using an endovaginal approach. What is it ?

  Uterine artery
• Venous congestion appears as:

  pelvis varices
• Echogenic ovarian foci may indicate the presence of all except:

  simple cysts
• Fat or smooth muscles are more ____ than the skeletal muscles.

  echogenic
• What are the pelvic organs?

  External genitalia, urinary bladder, urethra, uterus, fallopian tubes, vagina, ovaries, colon, and rectum
• What are the false pelvis organs ?

  Ileum and sigmoid colon
• What are the 3 functions of the female bony pelvis ?

  Weight bearing, direction for child birth, and protection of the reproductive organs