The Fallopian tubes, also referred to as uterine tubes, salpinges (singular salpinx), or oviducts, represent the tubes in the female reproductive system that connect the ovaries to the uterus. They’re known as oviducts in other mammals. From the ovaries to the uterus, a fertilised egg travels through the Fallopian tubes. The fertilised egg is carried through the Fallopian tubes, which are lined by simple columnar epithelium containing hair-like extensions called cilia. The name stems from Gabriele Falloppio, a Catholic priest and anatomist for whom other anatomical structures are also named.

Structure of Fallopian Tubes

The Fallopian tube is divided into four sections. The infundibulum along with many of its associated fimbriae near the ovary, the ampulla that denotes the major portion of the lateral tube, the isthmus, which is represented by the narrower part of the tube that helps in linking it to the uterus, and the interstitial (or intramural) part, the narrowest part of the uterine which crosses the uterine muscles are described from near the ovaries to inward near the uterus. A fallopian tube’s general length is about 11–12 centimetres. The oviduct is the name given to the Fallopian tube in other mammals, and it can also be applied to the human Fallopian tube.

After the uterotubal junction, the uterus opens into the Fallopian tube at the proximal tubal opening (also known as the proximal ostium or os), which is accessible during hysteroscopy. Proximal tubal occlusion refers to occlusion of this orifice. The isthmus, ampulla, and infundibulum are the three designated components of the Fallopian tube from there. The isthmus is located near to the Fallopian tube’s entrance into the uterus. It links to the ampulla, which is the most common location of human conception and curls over the ovary.

The ampulla connects to the infundibulum, which sits above the ovaries, and ends in the abdominal cavity at the distal tubal aperture (or abdominal ostium), where the oocyte enters the Fallopian tube during ovulation. Fimbriae surround the entrance, which aid in the collecting of the oocyte. Distal tubal occlusion refers to the occlusion of this orifice. The fimbriae (singular fimbria) is a tissue fringe that extends from the ostium of the Fallopian tube to the ovary. One fimbria is long enough to reach the ovary out of all the fimbriae. Fimbria ovarica is the scientific name for it. An ovary does not have a direct connection to the Fallopian tube. The sex hormones stimulate the fimbriae, causing them to expand with blood and strike the ovary in a gentle, sweeping motion just before ovulation. The cilia of the fimbriae whisk the ovum into the Fallopian tube when it is discharged from the ovary into the peritoneal cavity. 

Function of Fallopian Tubes

The fallopian tube is a tube that connects the ovary and the uterus, allowing an egg to move from the ovary to the uterus. An ovarian follicle is a spherical mass of cells that surrounds an egg as it develops in the ovary. The primary oocyte completes meiosis I just before ovulation to create the first polar body and a secondary oocyte that is stalled in metaphase of meiosis II.

The secondary oocyte is produced by the ovaries during the menstrual cycle at the moment of ovulation. The ovary’s wall and the follicle burst, permitting the secondary oocyte to leave. The fimbriated end of the fallopian tube catches the secondary oocyte, which goes to the ampulla. The egg can now be fertilised with sperm in this location. The ampulla is usually where the sperm meet and fertilisation takes place; meiosis II is completed quickly. The ovum becomes a zygote after fertilisation and moves toward the uterus with the help of hair like cilia and the action of the fallopian tube muscle. The fallopian tube is crucial for the early embryo’s growth. The new embryo reaches the uterus after around five days and enters the uterine cavity, on about the sixth day, it gets implanted on the wall of the uterus. The release of one oocyte appears to be random and which do not alternate between the two ovaries. The remaining ovary releases an egg every month after an ovary is removed.

Disease associated with fallopian tubes

Inflammation

Salpingitis is an inflammation of the fallopian tubes that can occur on its own or in conjunction with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Salpingitis isthmica nodosa is a condition in which the fallopian tube thickens at its narrow end due to inflammation. It, like PID and endometriosis, has the potential to restrict the fallopian tube. Infertility or ectopic pregnancy can be caused by fallopian tube blockage.

Cancer

Fallopian tube cancer, which develops from the epithelial lining of the fallopian tube, was once thought to be an extremely rare cancer. Recent evidence reveals that it accounts for a considerable amount of what was previously classed as ovarian cancer. While tubal malignancies are sometimes mistaken as ovarian cancer, the therapy for both ovarian and fallopian tube cancers is comparable.

Surgery

A salpingectomy is the surgical removal of a fallopian tube. A bilateral salpingectomy is used to remove both tubes. A salpingo-oophorectomy is a procedure that involves the removal of a fallopian tube as well as at least one ovary. Tuboplasty is a procedure that removes a fallopian tube blockage.

Conclusion

The mucous membrane bordering the fallopian tube secretes substances that aid in the transit and survival of sperm and eggs. Sodium, calcium, proteins, glucose (a sugar), chlorides, bicarbonates, and lactic acid are the main components of the fluid. The lactic acid and bicarbonates are necessary for the sperm to utilise oxygen, and they also aid in the development of the egg once it has been fertilised. The remainder of the chemicals offer a proper environment for fertilisation to occur, while glucose is a nutrition for the egg and sperm. The mucous membrane contains cells with fine hairlike projections called cilia that help propel the sperm and egg through the fallopian tubes, in addition to cells that release fluids. Within a few hours, sperm deposited in the female reproductive system reaches the infundibulum. The egg takes three to four days to enter the uterine cavity, whether fertilised or not.