An infundibulum (Latin for ''funnel''; plural, ''infundibula'') is a
funnel
A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening.
Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...
-shaped cavity or organ.
Anatomy
* Brain: the
pituitary stalk
The pituitary stalk (also known as the infundibular stalk, Fenderson's funnel, or simply the infundibulum) is the connection between the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary. The floor of the third ventricle is prolonged downward as a funnel- ...
, also known as the ''infundibulum'' and ''infundibular stalk'', is the connection between the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary.
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Hair follicle
The hair follicle is an organ found in mammalian skin. It resides in the dermal layer of the skin and is made up of 20 different cell types, each with distinct functions. The hair follicle regulates hair growth via a complex interaction between h ...
: the infundibulum is the cup or funnel in which a hair follicle grows.
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Infundibulum (heart)
The infundibulum (also known as ''conus arteriosus'') is a conical pouch formed from the upper and left angle of the right ventricle in the chordate heart, from which the pulmonary trunk arises. It develops from the bulbus cordis. Typically, the in ...
: The infundibulum of the heart, or conus arteriosus, is the outflow portion of the right ventricle.
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Lung
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...
: The alveolar sacs of the lungs, from which the air chambers (alveoli) open, are also called ''infundibula''.
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Sinus (anatomy)
A sinus is a sac or cavity in any organ or tissue, or an abnormal cavity or passage caused by the destruction of tissue. In common usage, "sinus" usually refers to the paranasal sinuses, which are air cavities in the cranial bones, especially t ...
: The
ethmoidal infundibulum
The hiatus semilunaris is bounded inferiorly by the sharp concave margin of the uncinate process of the ethmoid bone
In the ethmoid bone, a sickle shaped projection, the uncinate process, projects posteroinferiorly from the ethmoid labyrinth.
B ...
is the most important of three infundibula of the nose: the frontal infundibulum and the maxillary infundibulum flow into it.
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Infundibulum of uterine tube
The fallopian tubes, also known as uterine tubes, oviducts or salpinges (singular salpinx), are paired tubes in the human female that stretch from the uterus to the ovaries. The fallopian tubes are part of the female reproductive system. In ot ...
: the funnel-like end of the mammal oviduct nearest to the ovary.
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Gallbladder
In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, although ...
: The Infundibulum of the gallbladder (also known as the "neck" of the gallbladder) is the end of nearest to the cystic duct, which is often dilated relative to the body of the gallbladder, and is a common site for gallstones.
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Renal pelvis
The renal pelvis or pelvis of the kidney is the funnel-like dilated part of the ureter in the kidney. It is formed by the covnvergence of the major calyces, acting as a funnel for urine flowing from the major calyces to the ureter. It has a mucous ...
, sometimes called the renal infundibulum
Veterinary medicine
*
Infundibulum (tooth) The infundibulum of a tooth is the funnel-like center that is filled with ''cementum''. The funnel is widest at the top (crown) which is the grinding (occlusal) surface. The infundibulum is also known as the ''dental cup''. Simple tooth infundibul ...
: In horses, other equines and ruminants, the infundibulum of a tooth is the central cup or funnel of tooth enamel and cementum.
Botany
*
Glossary of botanical terms
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...
: infundibular means "funnel-shaped" in plant morphology, for example referring to the corolla of some flowers.
Other uses
*
Cephalopod limb
All cephalopods possess flexible limbs extending from their heads and surrounding their beaks. These appendages, which function as muscular hydrostats, have been variously termed arms, legs or tentacles.
Description
In the scientific ...
: The outer shallow cavity of a sucker on a Cephalopod limb is called an ''infundibulum''.
*
''Infundibulum'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snail
* In the science fiction novel ''
The Sirens of Titan
''The Sirens of Titan'' is a comic science fiction novel by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., first published in 1959. His second novel, it involves issues of free will, omniscience, and the overall purpose of human history. Much of the story revolves around a ...
'' by Kurt Vonnegut, a "chronosynclastic infundibulum" is a kind of wormhole through time and space, defined as "where all the different kinds of truths fit together".
*
Ian McDonald (British author)
Ian McDonald (born 1960) is a British science fiction novelist, living in Belfast. His themes include nanotechnology, postcyberpunk settings, and the impact of rapid social and technological change on non-Western societies.
Early life
Ian McDo ...
- the ''Everness'' science fiction series is about the adventures of Everett Singh, a British boy whose understanding of the use of a quantum mechanics and an infundibulum device permits him to travel to parallel worlds under the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics.
See also
*
Body cavity
A body cavity is any space or compartment, or potential space, in an animal body. Cavities accommodate organs and other structures; cavities as potential spaces contain fluid.
The two largest human body cavities are the ventral body cavity, and ...
* ''
Infundibulops''
{{disambiguation