Full Description
Life is always intimately bound up with structure and with the continuous transformation which structures undergo. Modern science and technology have now made it possible to display these structures before our eyes, right up to the frontiers of molecular dimensions. When several years ago Dr. HANS LUDWIG, while working at the First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University at Munich, demonstrated to us some micrographs showing the human oviduct's surface pattern, my immediate reaction was: This is the environment that encom passes the very onset of an individual human life. In fact, scanning electron microscopy, superimposed upon classical micro morphology, has enabled us to get insight into the landscape of living structures, their intricate organization and their delicate beauty as well. At the same time this technique opens up an entirely new perspective in our three-dimensional view and comprehension of biological events. This becomes especially evident in the realm of reproductive processes within the human female reproductive tract. In this volume the authors give - for the first time systematically - a description of the surface patterns of the inside of the human vagina, ecto and endocervix, and the human uterus and oviduct; they depict ovulatory alterations of the ovarian surface and surface changes under various endo crine conditions, as well as in relation to the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, fetal growth, and the menopausal cessation of ovarian functional activity. of the placental intervillum, the In addition they describe surface structures basal plate and the amnion.
Contents
Materials.- Methodology.- 1. The Vagina.- Tissue Surface of the Vaginal Epithelium.- 2. The Ectocervix and Endocervix.- Transition Zone between the Ectocervix and the Endocervix.- Ectocervix.- Endocervix.- 3. The Endometrium.- Gross Architecture of the Endometrial Gland Openings.- Cellular Shape of the Endometrial Surface Epithelium around the Gland Openings.- Endometrial Surface Epithelium.- Cellular Details of the Endometrial Surface Epithelium.- Comparative Micromorphology of Ciliated Cells in the Endometrium.- Comparative Micromorphology of the Microvillous Relief of the Nonciliated Cells in the Endometrium.- The Re-Epithelization of the Postmenstrual Uterine Cavity.- Endometrium after the Insertion of IUD.- Endometrium under the Influence of Ethinylestradiol.- Endometrium of a Female Fetus (Week 23 of Pregnancy).- Senile Endometrium.- 4. The Fallopian Tube.- Organization of the Ampullary Mucosa of the Oviduct.- Gross Arrangement of Ciliated and Nonciliated Cells in the Ampulla.- Distribution of Ciliated and Nonciliated Cells in the Ampulla.- Relation between Single Ciliated and Nonciliated Cells in the Ampulla.- Boundaries of the Nonciliated Cells Occurring in the Ampulla.- Microvilli of Nonciliated Cells Occurring in the Ampulla.- Comparative Topology of the Segments in the Oviduct.- Fimbriae of a Female Fetus (Week 23 of Pregnancy).- 5. The Ovary.- The Surface of an Adult Ovary at the Time of Ovulation.- The Surface of an Adult Ovary during the Luteal Phase.- The Texture of the Second Layer of the Tunica Albuginea.- 6. Gestational Metamorphosis of the Tissue Surface.- Vagina (Pregnancy).- Ectocervix (Pregnancy).- Endocervix (Pregnancy).- Lower Uterine Segment (Pregnancy).- Endometrium (Pregnancy).- The Oviduct (Ectopic Pregnancy).- The Oviduct (at Term of Pregnancy).- 7. Metamorphosis of the Tissue Surface by Progestational Agents.- Ectocervix (Progestogenic Treatment).- Endocervix (Progestogenic Treatment).- Endometrium (Progestogenic Treatment).- The Oviduct (Progestogenic Treatment).- 8. The Placenta.- Organization of the Villous Tree.- Branching of the Placental Villous Tree.- Microvillous Pattern of the Terminal Villi.- Details of the Microvillous Pattern of Terminal Villi.- Microvillous Pattern around a Placental Sprout.- The Basal Plate.- Surface of the Syncytiotrophoblast in Toxemia.- Infarction of the Intervillous Space in Toxemia.- 9. The Membranes.- Organization of the Fetal Surface of the Amniotic Epithelium.- Arrangement of the Amniotic Epithelial Cells.- Surface Pattern and Cellular Shape of Amniotic Epithelial Cells.- Surface Details of the Amniotic Epithelium.- Microvilli of the Amniotic Epithelium.- The Fibroelastic Layer of the Amnion (Amnion Seen from the Chorionic Side after Removal of Chorion).- Surface of Amniotic Epithelium in Blood Group Incompatibility.- Surface of Amniotic Epithelium in Postmaturity.- Conclusions.- References.
