| Pectinate line | |
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| Pectinate line labeled at bottom center. | |
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| The interior of the anal cami and lower part of the rectum, showing the columns of Morgagni and the anal valves between their lower ends. (Pectinate line visible but not labeled.) | |
| Latin | linea anocutanea |
The pectinate line (anocutaneous line, dentate line, anal verge, anorectal junction) is a line which divides the upper 2/3rds and lower 1/3rd of the anal canal. Developmentally, this line represents the hindgut-proctodeum junction.
It is an important anatomical landmark, and several distinctions can be made based upon the location of a structure relative to this line:
| Distinction | Above pectinate line | Below pectinate line |
| destination of lymph drainage | internal iliac lymph nodes,[1] inferior mesenteric lymph nodes[2] (pararectal lymph nodes), | superficial inguinal lymph nodes (below Hilton's white line)[3] |
| epithelium | columnar epithelium (as is most of the digestive tract - the line represents the end of the part of the body derived from the hindgut) | stratified squamous epithelium (as is most of the skin.) |
| embryological origin | endoderm | ectoderm |
| artery | superior rectal artery | inferior rectal arteries |
| vein | superior rectal vein | inferior rectal vein |
| hemorrhoids classification | internal hemorrhoids (not painful) | external hemorrhoids (painful) |
| nerves | inferior hypogastric plexus | inferior rectal nerves |
Additional images
 Microscopic cross section of the anorectal junction. |
 Anatomy of the anus and rectum |
 Coronal section of rectum and anal canal. |
References
- ^ Anne M. R. Agur; Moore, Keith L. (2006). Essential Clinical Anatomy (Point (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)). Hagerstown, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 258. ISBN 0-7817-6274-X.
- ^ "Dissector Answers - Pelvis & Pelvic Viscera". http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/reproductive_system/pelvicvisc_ans.html. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ "Pelvis". http://mywebpages.comcast.net/wnor/pelvis.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
External links
- Pectinate+line at eMedicine Dictionary
- pelvis at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (rectum)
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