Suspensory ligament of ovary

Suspensory ligament of the ovary
Suspensory ligament of the ovary
	Uterus and ovary, seen from behind. The suspensory ligament of the ovary (not labeled) is shown incompletely and in section; it surrounds the ovarian vessels (labeled).
Details
Precursor	Upper gubernaculum
From	Upper pole of ovary and infundibulum of fallopian tube
To	Lateral wall of the pelvis
Identifiers
Latin	ligamentum suspensorium ovarii
TA98	A09.1.01.018F
TA2	3805
FMA	19822
	Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

The suspensory ligament of the ovary, also infundibulopelvic ligament (commonly abbreviated IP ligament or simply IP), is a fold of peritoneum^[2] that extends out from the ovary to the wall of the pelvis.

Some sources consider it a part of the broad ligament of uterus^[3] while other sources just consider it a "termination" of the ligament.^[4] It is not considered a true ligament in that it does not physically support any anatomical structures; however it is an important landmark and it houses the ovarian vessels.

The suspensory ligament is directed upward over the iliac vessels.

Structure

It contains the ovarian artery, ovarian vein,^[2] ovarian nerve plexus,^[5] and lymphatic vessels.^[4]

Composition

The suspensory ligament of the ovary is one continuous tissue that connects the ovary to the wall of the pelvis. There are separate names for the two regions of this tissue.

In the anterior region, the suspensory ligament is attached to the wall of the pelvis via a continuous tissue called peritoneum.
In the more posterior region, the suspensory ligament is attached to the upper pole of ovary and infundibulum of fallopian tube via a continuous tissue called the broad ligament.

In sum, the suspensory ligament consists of a single connective tissue that has different regional notations, the peritoneum and the broad ligament.

Peritoneal relationship

Most of the abdominal cavity is lined by a double-membranous sac called peritoneum . The interior is called the peritoneal cavity, this is the location of all 'intra-peritoneal' organs (disambiguation: retro-peritoneal organs). The most inferior extent of the peritoneum covers the pelvic inlet; in females, this region of the peritoneum is referred to as the 'broad ligament'.