|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
fallopian tube
fallopian tube , either of a pair of tubes extending from the uterus to the paired ovaries in the human female, also called oviducts, technically known as the uterine tube. At one end the long, slender fallopian tube opens into the uterus; the other end expands into a funnel shape near the ovary. The epithelium that lines the tube is covered with cilia that beat continuously toward the uterus. When an ovum is expelled into the peritoneal cavity from the ovary during ovulation, it is propelled into the wide-mouthed opening of the fallopian tube, through the tube, and into the uterus by the wavelike motion of the cilia. If the ovum is fertilized, an event that normally takes place in the fallopian tube, and the embryo (fertilized ovum) implants in the tube, or another area outside the uterus, an ectopic pregnancy occurs. About 98% of ectopic implantations occur in the tubes, but other sites include the abdomen, ovary, and cervix. Immediate surgical removal of the products of conception is necessary to prevent hemorrhage and other complications resulting from ectopic pregnancy. The fallopian tubes are also the site of the most common surgical procedures used to prevent conception or cause infertility in women. Usually the tubes are tied off in a procedure known as tubal ligation, although they are also sometimes excised or occluded by other methods. See reproductive system ; uterus . |
|
|
Cite this article
"fallopian tube." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fallopian tube." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-fallopia.html "fallopian tube." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-fallopia.html |
|
Fallopian tube
Fallopian tube (oviduct, uterine tube) (fă-loh-piăn) n. either of a pair of tubes that conduct ova from the ovary to the uterus (see reproductive system). The ovarian end opens into the abdominal cavity via a funnel-shaped structure with fimbriae surrounding the opening. The ovum is fertilized near the ovarian end of the tube. [ G. Fallopius (1523–63), Italian anatomist]
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Fallopian tube." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Fallopian tube." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-Fallopiantube.html "Fallopian tube." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-Fallopiantube.html |
|
Fallopian tube
Fallopian tube (oviduct) In mammals, either of two narrow ducts leading from the upper part of the uterus into the pelvic cavity and ending near each ovary. After ovulation, the ovum enters and travels through the Fallopian tube where fertilization can occur. The fertilized ovum, or embryo, continues into the uterus where it becomes implanted.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Fallopian tube." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Fallopian tube." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Fallopiantube.html "Fallopian tube." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Fallopiantube.html |
|
Fallopian tube
Fallopian tube In female mammals, the duct, with a funnel-shaped opening, that connects the uterus and the peritoneal cavity. The muscular contraction and ciliary action of the tube moves eggs from the ovary to the uterus, and sperms from the uterus to the upper part of the tube, where fertilization occurs.
|
|
|
Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "Fallopian tube." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "Fallopian tube." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Fallopiantube.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "Fallopian tube." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Fallopiantube.html |
|
fallopian tube
fal·lo·pi·an tube / fəˈlōpēən/ (also Fal·lo·pi·an) • n. Anat. (in a female mammal) either of a pair of tubes along which eggs travel from the ovaries to the uterus. |
|
|
Cite this article
"fallopian tube." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fallopian tube." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-fallopiantube.html "fallopian tube." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-fallopiantube.html |
|
fallopian tube
|
|
|
Cite this article
"fallopian tube." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fallopian tube." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-fallopiantube.html "fallopian tube." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-fallopiantube.html |
|
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
