Excerpt from Broad Ligament Disorders

Synonyms, Key Words, and Related Terms: broad ligament disorders, ligamentum latum, fallopian tubes, ovaries, pelvis, müllerian ducts, parametrium, mesovarium, broad ligament defect, fenestra, pouch, trauma during pregnancy, trauma during delivery, pelvic inflammatory disease, surgical damage, congenital cystic structures, internal herniation of the small bowel, internal herniation through a defect in the broad ligament, broad ligament hematoma, parametritis, broad ligament ectopic pregnancy, intraligamentary pregnancy, leiomyoma

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Background

The broad ligament is a peritoneal fold that attaches the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries to the pelvis. Disorders of the broad ligament are rare and review of medical literature reveals mostly case reports. In this article, the most reported disorders are discussed.

Embryology

The broad ligaments are formed after the fusion of both müllerian ducts. This fusion brings together 2 peritoneal folds that become the broad ligament on each side of the fused müllerian ducts. The müllerian ducts eventually canalize and become the uterus, the fallopian tubes, and the cervix.

Anatomy and physiology

The broad ligament is a double-layered sheet of mesothelial cells. It extends from the sides of the uterus medially to the pelvic sidewalls laterally and the pelvic floor inferiorly. Superiorly, it engulfs sequentially from anterior to posterior the round ligaments, fallopian tubes, and utero-ovarian ligaments. Medially, it encloses the uterus, and laterally, it encloses the ovarian vessels forming the infundibulopelvic ligament, attaching the ovaries to the lateral pelvic sidewall. The 2 layers of the broad ligaments are continuous with each other at a free edge that surrounds the fallopian tubes.

Between the 2 layers of the broad ligament is extraperitoneal tissue referred to as the parametrium and consists of connective tissue, smooth muscles, nerves, and blood vessels. The mesovarium is a short peritoneal fold that attaches the anterior border of the ovary to the posterior leaf of the broad ligament. The mesosalpinx is the part of the broad ligament that lies between the utero-ovarian ligament, the ovary, and the fallopian tube.

Together with the uterus, the broad ligament forms a septum across the female pelvis, dividing that cavity into 2 compartments—in the anterior part is the bladder and in the posterior part is the rectum. The broad ligament is believed to hold the uterus in its normal position within the pelvis and maintains the relationship of the fallopian tubes to the ovaries and the uterus, a role that might be important in reproduction. However, the broad ligament plays a minimal role, if any, in pelvic support. The principal support of the uterus is the pelvic floor.

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