Broad ligament of the uterus
|Broad ligament of the uterus|
Uterus and right broad ligament, seen from behind. (Broad ligament visible at center.)
|Latin||ligamentum latum uteri|
The broad ligament may be divided into three subcomponents:
- Mesometrium - the mesentery of the uterus; the largest portion of the broad ligament
- Mesosalpinx - the mesentery of the Fallopian tube
- Mesovarium - the mesentery of the ovaries.
The contents of the broad ligament include the following:
The peritoneum surrounds the uterus like a flat sheet that folds over its fundus, covering it anteriorly and posteriorly; on the sides of the uterus, this sheet of peritoneum comes in direct contact with itself, forming the double layer of peritoneum known as the broad ligament of the uterus.
The broad ligament serves as a mesentery for the uterus, ovaries, and the uterine tubes. It helps in maintaining the uterus in its position, but it is not a major contributing factor.
Broad ligament of adult, showing epoöphoron.
- Swiss embryology (from UL, UB, and UF) ugenital/diffmorpho05
- pelvis at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (uterus, broadligament)
- Kyung Won, PhD. Chung (2005). Gross Anatomy (Board Review). Hagerstown, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 273. ISBN 0-7817-5309-0.
- "Chapter 35: Female genitalia". Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- Anatomy photo:43:03-0300 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center
- Anatomy image:9671 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center
- Anatomy image:9783 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center
- Anatomy photo: Reproductive/mammal/femalesys1/femalesys6 - Comparative Organology at University of California, Davis - Mammal, female overview (Gross, Medium)"
- Diagram at med.mun.ca
- figures/chapter_35/35-2.HTM — Basic Human Anatomy at Dartmouth Medical School