The cecum or caecum is a pouch within the peritoneum that is considered to be the beginning of the large intestine. It is typically located on the right side of the body. The word cecum stems from the Latin caecus meaning blind.
The levator ani is a broad, thin muscle group, situated on either side of the pelvis. It is formed from three muscle components: the pubococcygeus, the iliococcygeus, and the puborectalis.
The sigmoid colon is the part of the large intestine that is closest to the rectum and anus. It forms a loop that averages about 35–40 centimetres (14–16 in) in length. The loop is typically shaped like a Greek letter sigma (ς) or Latin letter S. This part of the colon normally lies within the pelvis, but due to its freedom of movement it is liable to be displaced into the abdominal cavity.
The mesentery is an organ that attaches the intestines to the posterior abdominal wall and is formed by the double fold of peritoneum. It helps in storing fat and allowing blood vessels, lymphatics, and nerves to supply the intestines, among other functions.
The rectouterine pouch is the extension of the peritoneum into the space between the posterior wall of the uterus and the rectum in the human female.
The anal canal is the part that connects the rectum to the anus, located below the level of the pelvic diaphragm. It is located within the anal triangle of the perineum, between the right and left ischioanal fossa. As the final functional segment of the bowel, it functions to regulate release of excrement by two muscular sphincter complexes. The anus is the aperture at the terminal portion of the anal canal.
The suspensory ligament of the ovary, also infundibulopelvic ligament, is a fold of peritoneum that extends out from the ovary to the wall of the pelvis.
The pelvic cavity is a body cavity that is bounded by the bones of the pelvis. Its oblique roof is the pelvic inlet. Its lower boundary is the pelvic floor.
The deep perineal pouch is the anatomic space enclosed in part by the perineum, and located superior to the perineal membrane.
The perimetrium is the outer serosal layer of the uterus, derived from the peritoneum overlying the uterine fundus, and can be considered a visceral peritoneum. It consists of a superficial layer of mesothelium, and a thin layer of loose connective tissue beneath it.
The paracolic gutters are peritoneal recesses – spaces between the colon and the abdominal wall.
The rectouterine fold is a bilaterally paired prominent ridge/fold of the peritoneum that represents the lateral boundary of the rectouterine pouch on either side. It is formed by the underlying rectouterine muscle. On either side, the rectouterine fold extends between the sacrum medially, and the base of the broad ligament of the uterus laterally.
In human female anatomy, the vesicouterine pouch, also uterovesicle pouch, is a fold of peritoneum over the uterus and the bladder. Like the rectouterine pouch, it is a female pelvic recess, but shallower and closer to the anterior fornix of the vagina.
The peritoneum of the anterior pelvic wall covers the superior surface of the bladder, and on either side of this viscus forms a depression, termed the paravesical fossa, which is limited laterally by the fold of peritoneum covering the ductus deferens.
The rectovesical pouch is the pocket that lies between the rectum and the bladder in males in humans and other mammals. It is lined by peritoneum.
The extraperitoneal space is the portion of the abdomen and pelvis which does not lie within the peritoneum.
The uterosacral ligaments are major ligaments of uterus that extend posterior-ward from the cervix to attach onto the sacrum.
The iliac colon is the portion of the descending colon which is situated within the left iliac fossa. It is about 12 to 15 cm long.
The pelvis is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs, together with its embedded skeleton.
The vaginal support structures are those muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, membranes and fascia, of the pelvic floor that maintain the position of the vagina within the pelvic cavity and allow the normal functioning of the vagina and other reproductive structures in the female. Defects or injuries to these support structures in the pelvic floor leads to pelvic organ prolapse. Anatomical and congenital variations of vaginal support structures can predispose a woman to further dysfunction and prolapse later in life. The urethra is part of the anterior wall of the vagina and damage to the support structures there can lead to incontinence and urinary retention.
