Gartner's Duct

GARTNER'S DUCT, ductus Gartneri, is a rudimentary part of the female reproductive apparatus, the remnant of the Wolffian (pronephric) duct, corresponding to the duct of the epididymis (vas epididymis) and the vas deferens (vas deferens) in the male. During embryonic development, the Wolffian ducts lie adjacent to the outer side of the Müllerian ducts and in the lower two-thirds fuse with them, becoming part of the developing uterus and vagina. Gartner's duct consists of a longitudinal duct of the epoophoron, otherwise known as Rosenmüller's organ (ductus epoophori longitudinalis s. ductus Gartneri), located in the broad ligament of the uterus, parallel to the Fallopian tube at some distance from it, and its continuation, running in the lateral wall of the uterus and vagina all the way to the vestibulum vaginae. On a transverse section of the uterus of a seven-month fetus, Gartner's ducts are clearly visible in the outer wall (Fig. 1); in some mammals (swine, ruminants) Gartner's ducts persist throughout life; in women, within the uterine and vaginal parts, they usually disappear or remain as separate cavities and tubules of varying lengths, which can form cysts; in newborns, the opening of Gartner's duct can still sometimes be observed in the vestibulum vaginae in the form of a blind diverticulum. The tubules of Gartner's duct are lined with columnar, sometimes ciliated epithelium, possess a connective tissue membrane, and in places also a muscular coat of longitudinal and circular smooth muscles (see also Wolffian duct, Wolffian body).