Compilation of free information about human parts, their function, assembly, repair, and maintenance
Pectinate line
| Pectinate line | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Pectinate line labeled at bottom center. | |
 |
|
| The interior of the anal cami and lower part of the rectum, showing the columns of Morgagni and the anal valves between their lower ends. (Pectinate line visible but not labeled.) | |
| Latin | linea anocutanea |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | l_10/12496033 |
The pectinate line (anocutaneous line, dentate line, anal verge, anorectal junction) is a line which marks the end of the rectum and the beginning of the anal canal. Developmentally, this line provides the hindgut and proctodeum junction.
It is an important anatomical landmark, and several distinctions can be made based upon the location of a structure relative to this line:
| Distinction | Above pectinate line | Below pectinate line |
| destination of lymph drainage | internal iliac lymph nodes,[1] inferior mesenteric lymph nodes[2] (pararectal lymph nodes), | superficial inguinal lymph nodes (below Hilton's white line)[3] |
| epithelium | columnar epithelium (as is most of the digestive tract - the line represents the end of the part of the body derived from the hindgut) | stratified squamous epithelium (as is most of the skin.) |
| artery | superior rectal artery | inferior rectal arteries |
| vein | superior rectal vein | inferior rectal vein |
| hemorrhoids classification | internal hemorrhoids (not painful) | external hemorrhoids (painful) |
| nerves | inferior hypogastric plexus | inferior rectal nerves |
Additional images
 |
 |
 |
References
- ^ Anne M. R. Agur; Moore, Keith L. (2006). Essential Clinical Anatomy (Point (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)). Hagerstwon, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 258. ISBN 0-7817-6274-X.
- ^ Dissector Answers - Pelvis & Pelvic Viscera. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
- ^ Pelvis. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
External links
- Pectinate+line at eMedicine Dictionary
- Norman/Georgetown pelvis (rectum)
- GI49 at FPnotebook
The content of this section is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License (local copy). It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pectinate line" modified December 22, 2007 with previous authors listed in its history.
