Author : Viernes, Virgilo Diolosa Jr.

Summary : The gross morphology and microscopic anatomy of the uterine tubes of matured Philippine water buffalo were described using 60 specimens from apparently healthy animals. All specimens were subjected to gross characterization. For the microscopic examination, 24 specimens were used. The first 12 were subjected to routine paraffin technique and examined under a compound microscope while the other 12 specimens were processed, fixed and examined under a scanning electron microscope. Data on length and external diameter were gathered and subjected to descriptive analysis using T-test. The uterine tubes were bilaterally located or paired (right or left). These were subdivided into four regions, namely; the infundibulum, ampulla, isthmus and uterotubal junction. The average length of the right and left uterine tubes was 20.42 ± 0.571 cm. Statistical analysis yielded no significant difference between sides. Also, the external diameters were not significantly different (P>0.05). The different subdivisions of the uterine tubes were observed to have the following features: (1) the entire length of the tube (infundibulum-uterotubal junction) showed four tunics, three of which are the tunica serosa, tunica muscularis and tunica mucosa which were distinct. Meanwhile the fourth tunic of the tunica submucosa was almost indistinct. (2) The entire mucosal epithelium was lined with columnar to pseudocolumnar cells which were either ciliated of non-ciliated cells. The non-ciliated secretory cells were also of two types: the goblet cells and the peg cells. (3) The different subdivisions of the uterine tubes demonstrated a marked variation in the shapes of the mucosal cells in the infundibulum, ampulla, isthmus and uterotubal junction. Three distinct structures were identified and these were non-ciliated secretory cells, goblet cells, and cilia that covered the ciliated cells.