THE VASCULAR ARCHITECTURE OF HUMAN FETAL OVIDUCT - A SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPIC STUDY OF CORROSION CASTS

Vascular architecture was investigated, in 18-21 week old human fetuse s, for the first time with the use of corrosion casting and scanning e lectron microscopy, which offer high resolution and three-dimensional images of the vascular networks. The general arrangement of large vess els was similar to that described for the mature oviduct; however, the intramural vasculature of the muscular layer and mucosal folds consis ted predominantly of capillary and sinusoidal networks. A characterist ic feature of the fetal oviduct was a prominent sub-serosal venous ple xus, which was most extensive in the isthmic segment. The relatively l ow degree of differentiation found in the fetal oviduct vasculature se ems to reflect its functional immaturity.