ovaries

• external features
  • young girls
    • before onset of ovulation
      • ovaries have smooth surface
      • they are greyish pink in colour
  • after puberty girls
    • surface becomes uneven and is greyish in colour
  • two poles
    • upper or tubal pole
    • lower or uterine pole
  • two borders
    • anterior or mesoovarian border
    • posterior or free border
  • 2 surfaces
    • lateral
    • medial
• situation
  • lies in the ovarian fossa on lateral pelvic wall
    • bounded anteriorly by
      • obliterated umbilical artery
    • bounded posteriorly by
      • ureter and internal iliac artery
  • position
    • it varies with individual
  • nulliparous women long axis
    • is nearly vertical
  • multiparous women
    • long axis is horizontal
      • upper pole points laterally
      • lower pole points medially
• relations
  • peritoneal relations
    • almost covered by peritoneum except along mesoovarian or anterior border
    • mesoovarium
      • ovary is connected to posterior layer of braod ligament
      • sq. epithelium is continuous with cubical epithelium of ovary
      • transmits vessels to and from ovary
  • suspensory ligament of ovary or infundibulopelvic ligament
    • lateral part of braod ligament
• visceral relations
  • upper pole or tubal pole
    • related to uterine tube and external iliac vein
    • right ovary may be related to appendix
    • ovarian fimbria and suspensory ligament are attached to this pole
  • lower or uterine pole
    • related to pelvic floor
    • connected by the ligament of ovary
    • to the lateral angle of uterus
    • posteroinferior to the attachment of uterine tube
  • anterior or mesoovarian border
    • straight and is related
      • to uterine tube
      • obliterated umbilical artery
    • attached to the back of broad ligament of uterus
  • posterior or free border
    • related to uterine tube and ureter
  • lateral surface
    • related to ovarian fossa
      • lined by parietal peritoneum
    • peritoneum separates ovary from obturator vessels and nerve
  • medial surface
    • largely covered by uterine tube
    • peritoneal recess b/w this surface and mesosalpinx is
      • ovarian bursa
• venous drainage
  • veins emerge at the hilus and form a pampiniform plexus around artery
  • plexus condenses in to a single ovarian vein at pelvic inlet
• nerve supply
  • sympathetic nerves T10 - T11
  • ovarian plexus
• histology
  • outer surface
    • germinal epithelium
  • cortex
    • ovarian follicles
      • various stages
      • each follicle
        • one oocyte
      • after liberation of oocyte
        • grafian follicle becomes
          • corpus luteum
            • produces progesterone
      • follicular cells
        • secrete
          • oestrogen
• arterial supply
  • ovarian artery
    • arises from abd aorta just below renal artery
    • descends over posterior abd wall
      • enters suspensory ligament
    • sends branches to ovary through mesoovarium
      • then anastomose with uterine artery
  • uterine artery
• lymphatic drainage
• functions
  • production of oocytes
  • production of hormones
  • oestrogen
  • progesterone
• clinical anatomy
  • prolapse of ovary
  • ovarian cyst
  • carcinoma of ovary