The subserosa or tela subserosa, is a thin layer of
tissue in the walls of various
organs
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...
. It is a layer of
connective tissue (usually of the
areolar type) between the
muscular layer
The muscular layer (muscular coat, muscular fibers, muscularis propria, muscularis externa) is a region of muscle in many organs in the vertebrate body, adjacent to the submucosa. It is responsible for gut movement such as peristalsis. The Latin, ...
(muscularis externa) and the serosa (
serous membrane
The serous membrane (or serosa) is a smooth tissue membrane of mesothelium lining the contents and inner walls of body cavities, which secrete serous fluid to allow lubricated sliding movements between opposing surfaces. The serous membrane ...
).
The subserosa has clinical importance particularly in
cancer staging
Cancer staging is the process of determining the extent to which a cancer has developed by growing and spreading. Contemporary practice is to assign a number from I to IV to a cancer, with I being an isolated cancer and IV being a cancer that ha ...
(for example, in staging
stomach cancerACS :: How Is Stomach Cancer Staged?
/ref> or uterine cancer
Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the ut ...
).
The subserosa ('' sub-'' + ''serosa'') is to a serous membrane what the submucosa ('' sub-'' + ''mucosa'') is to a mucous membrane
A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It i ...
.
References
External links
* - "Female Reproductive System: oviduct; infundibulum"
Histology at uio.no
Diagram at uniklinik-saarland.de
Membrane biology
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