Broad ligament

Changed by Daniel J Bell, 8 Apr 2021

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The broad ~~ligament~~ligaments is(TA: ligamentum latum uteri or plica lata uteri ⁴) are the paired lateral folds of the parietal peritoneum which reflect over the upper genital tract in females.

Gross anatomy

The broad ligament extends from the lateral aspect of the uterus to the lateral pelvic wall and can be divided into three main components - the mesosalpinx, mesovarium and mesometrium. The broad ligament is usually considered to form part of the adnexa.

Attachments

mesosalpinx
- superiorly: uterine tube
- superolaterally: suspensory ligament of the ovary
- posteroinferiorly: mesovarium
- medially: ovarian ligament
mesometrium: drape-like largest portion of the broad ligament
- extends from the pelvic floor to the uterine body and ovarian ligament

The contents of the broad ligament include:

adnexa
- ovary
- uterine tube
blood vessels
- ovarian artery
- uterine artery
ligaments
- ovarian ligament
- suspensory ligament of the ovary
- round ligament of the uterus
other
- vestigial remnants of the mesonephric tubules
- a fraction of ureters ³

A useful mnemonic to remember the contents can be found here.

Variant anatomy

congenital absence of the broad ligament

Related pathology

broad ligament hernia
common site for endometriomas
benign tumours: usually lipoleiomyomas which are a variant of uterine leiomyomas
malignant tumours (rare): leiomyosarcomas

-<p>The <strong>broad ligament </strong>is the lateral folds of the parietal <a href="/articles/peritoneum">peritoneum</a> which reflect over the <a href="/articles/female-reproductive-system">upper genital tract</a> in females.</p><h4>Gross anatomy</h4><p>The broad ligament extends from the lateral aspect of the <a href="/articles/uterus">uterus</a> to the lateral pelvic wall and can be divided into three main components - the <a href="/articles/mesosalpinx">mesosalpinx</a>, <a href="/articles/mesovarium">mesovarium</a> and <a href="/articles/mesometrium">mesometrium</a>.</p><h5>Attachments</h5><ul>
+<p>The <strong>broad ligaments </strong>(<a href="/articles/terminologia-anatomica-1">TA</a>: ligamentum latum uteri or plica lata uteri <sup>4</sup>) are the paired lateral folds of the parietal <a href="/articles/peritoneum">peritoneum</a> which reflect over the <a href="/articles/female-reproductive-system">upper genital tract</a> in females.</p><h4>Gross anatomy</h4><p>The broad ligament extends from the lateral aspect of the <a href="/articles/uterus">uterus</a> to the lateral pelvic wall and can be divided into three main components - the <a href="/articles/mesosalpinx">mesosalpinx</a>, <a href="/articles/mesovarium">mesovarium</a> and <a href="/articles/mesometrium">mesometrium</a>. The broad ligament is usually considered to form part of the <a href="/articles/adnexa-female-pelvis">adnexa</a>.</p><h5>Attachments</h5><ul>

References changed:

4. FIPAT. Terminologia Anatomica. 2nd Ed. FIPAT.library.dal.ca. Federative International Programme for Anatomical Terminology, 2019. <a href="https://fipat.library.dal.ca/TA2/">https://fipat.library.dal.ca/TA2/</a>