TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY VIEWS ON THE FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE UTERINE TUBES AND THEIR IMPORTANCE FOR GYNECOLOGICAL PRACTICE
Abstract
The uterine tube, belonging to the female internal reproductive organs, is the only tubular organ in the human body that has, under physiological conditions, a transport function occurring in two opposite directions. It transports the picked-up oocyte released during ovulation and early embryo towards the uterine cavity. At the same time, it can transport spermatozoa towards the abdominal opening of the uterine tube. Moreover, the uterine tube has many other vital functions as sperm selection (one of the crucial factors preventing polyspermy) and the production of tubal fluid. This unique secretion is essential not only for the process of fertilization but also for sperm activation and the nourishment of the early embryo during its transport into the uterine cavity. The first part of our review is focused on a historical introduction to the topic in which the reader will become familiar with the views and understanding of these peculiar organs by famous anatomists of the 16th and 17th centuries, namely Gabriele Falloppio and Renier de Graaf. The following section will cover the overview of the latest anatomical, embryological, and histological knowledge, which are also crucial for better understanding the pathological processes affecting the uterine tube, like tubal factor infertility or tubal pregnancy. Interestingly, recent years have been very fruitful regarding uterine tube morphology, e.g. the discovery of a unique mechanism of lymphatic flow within the uterine tube mucosa, the first description of immunologically-active intraepithelial suppressor T-lymphocytes, or the observation of pacemaker cell population – telocytes - in the muscle layer.
