Vagina anatomy

A number of excellent articles have been published detailing the anatomy and physiology of the human vagina [1-4], and therefore only a brief overview is provided here. 

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE VAGINA RELEVANT TO DRUG DELIVERY... 

Monkeys, in particular Rhesus macaque and squirrel monkey, have been considered as models for vaginal drug absorption because of the similarities between nonhuman primate and human anatomy. The vagina of rhesus macaques is characterized by connective tissue attachments, localization of steroid hormone receptors, duration, and cyclic changes in vaginal physiology similar to that of humans [119]. 

Platzer, W. Poisel, W. Hafez, E.S.E. Evans, T.N. Functional anatomy of the human vagina. In The Human Vagina, North Holland Publishing Co. New York, 1978 39-53. 

Our reinterpreted anatomy of the connective tissue surrounding uterus and vagina is ... 

Fig. 12.1a-c. CT anatomy of the normal vagina. a,b CT. c Sagittal CT reconstruction. CT anatomy of the vagina - middle third at the level of the urinary bladder (a) and distal third at the level of the urethra (b). The vagina has the same density as the walls of the bladder, urethra, and rectum and can be distinguished from these structures on CT by the presence of a small fat layer. For differentiation of the vagina, it is also helpful if the bladder is filled with urine and the rectum is filled with air... 

Fig. 12.5. MR anatomy of the normal vaginal fornices on T2-weighted images. T2-weighted image in sagittal orientation. The uterine cervix protrudes into the vagina, forming the posterior vaginal fornix (open arrow) and the somewhat smaller anterior vaginal fornix (arrow)...

Insertion of a tampon is not necessary for adequate evaluation and may even distort vaginal anatomy (Fig. 12.6a). Instead, evaluation can be improved by filling and distending the vagina with ultrasound gel (Fig. 12.6b). 

Hricak H, Chang YC, Thurnher S (1988) Vagina evaluation with MR imaging. Part 1. Normal anatomy and congenital anomalies. Radiology 169 169-174... 

Patton TJ Kavanagh JJ (1991) Five-year survival in patients given intra-arterial chemotherapy prior to radiotherapy for advanced squamous carcinoma of the cervix and vagina. Gynecol Oncol 42 54-59 Pelage JP et al. (1999) Arterial anatomy of the female genital tract variations and relevance to transcatheter embolization of the uterus. AJR Am J Roentgenol 172 989-994 Pelletier G et al. (1990) A randomized trial of hepatic arterial chemoembolization in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. J Hepatol 11 181 184 Pentecost MJ et al. (1993) Hepatic chemoembolization safety with portal vein thrombosis. J Vase Interv Radiol 4 347 351... 

Fig. 7.19a,b. Schematic representation of female hypospa-dia. a The perineal anatomy shows a female phenotype but no urethral opening. bThe urethral meatus is in the roof of the vagina... 

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