Anorectal and pelvic floor anatomy. 2009

Jaap Stoker
Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. j.stoker@amc.uva.nl

The anorectum and pelvic floor are crucial in maintaining continence, facilitating evacuation, providing pelvic organ support while in females the pelvic floor is part of the birth canal. The anal sphincter is a multilayered cylindrical structure, including the smooth muscle internal sphincter and the outer striated muscle layer. The latter comprises the external sphincter as lower outer half and puborectalis as upper outer half of the sphincter. The external sphincter is continuous with the rectum at the anorectal junction. The pelvic floor constitutes four principal layers: endopelvic fascia, the muscular pelvic diaphragm (commonly referred to as levator plate), the perineal membrane (urogenital diaphragm) and the superficial transverse perineii. Anorectum and pelvic floor have multiple interconnections by fascia and ligaments as well as multiple indirect connections to the bony pelvis. Other structures as perineal body and a fibro-elastic network add to this support.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008279 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Non-invasive method of demonstrating internal anatomy based on the principle that atomic nuclei in a strong magnetic field absorb pulses of radiofrequency energy and emit them as radiowaves which can be reconstructed into computerized images. The concept includes proton spin tomographic techniques. Chemical Shift Imaging,MR Tomography,MRI Scans,MRI, Functional,Magnetic Resonance Image,Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Functional,Magnetization Transfer Contrast Imaging,NMR Imaging,NMR Tomography,Tomography, NMR,Tomography, Proton Spin,fMRI,Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging,Imaging, Chemical Shift,Proton Spin Tomography,Spin Echo Imaging,Steady-State Free Precession MRI,Tomography, MR,Zeugmatography,Chemical Shift Imagings,Echo Imaging, Spin,Echo Imagings, Spin,Functional MRI,Functional MRIs,Image, Magnetic Resonance,Imaging, Magnetic Resonance,Imaging, NMR,Imaging, Spin Echo,Imagings, Chemical Shift,Imagings, Spin Echo,MRI Scan,MRIs, Functional,Magnetic Resonance Images,Resonance Image, Magnetic,Scan, MRI,Scans, MRI,Shift Imaging, Chemical,Shift Imagings, Chemical,Spin Echo Imagings,Steady State Free Precession MRI
D008297 Male Males
D012007 Rectum The distal segment of the LARGE INTESTINE, between the SIGMOID COLON and the ANAL CANAL. Rectums
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001003 Anal Canal The terminal segment of the LARGE INTESTINE, beginning from the ampulla of the RECTUM and ending at the anus. Anal Gland, Human,Anal Sphincter,Anus,Anal Gland,Anal Glands, Human,Detrusor External Sphincter,External Anal Sphincter,Internal Anal Sphincter,Anal Sphincter, External,Anal Sphincter, Internal,Anal Sphincters,Detrusor External Sphincters,External Anal Sphincters,Human Anal Gland,Human Anal Glands,Internal Anal Sphincters,Sphincter, Anal,Sphincter, Detrusor External,Sphincter, External Anal,Sphincter, Internal Anal,Sphincters, Anal
D017773 Pelvic Floor Soft tissue formed mainly by the pelvic diaphragm, which is composed of the two levator ani and two coccygeus muscles. The pelvic diaphragm lies just below the pelvic aperture (outlet) and separates the pelvic cavity from the PERINEUM. It extends between the PUBIC BONE anteriorly and the COCCYX posteriorly. Pelvic Diaphragm,Diaphragm, Pelvic,Diaphragms, Pelvic,Floor, Pelvic,Pelvic Diaphragms

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