The anocutaneous line, also called the Hilton white line or intersphincteric groove, is a boundary in the
anal canal
The anal canal is the part that connects the rectum to the anus, located below the level of the pelvic diaphragm. It is located within the anal triangle of the perineum, between the right and left ischioanal fossa. As the final functional seg ...
.
Below the anocutaneous line, lymphatic drainage is to the
superficial inguinal nodes.
The anocutaneous line is slightly below the
pectinate line and a landmark for the intermuscular border between
internal
Internal may refer to:
*Internality as a concept in behavioural economics
*Neijia, internal styles of Chinese martial arts
*Neigong or "internal skills", a type of exercise in meditation associated with Daoism
*''Internal (album)'' by Safia, 2016
...
and
external anal sphincter
The external anal sphincter (or sphincter ani externus ) is a flat plane of skeletal muscle fibers, elliptical in shape and intimately adherent to the skin surrounding the margin of the anus.
Anatomy
The external anal sphincter measures about 8 ...
muscles.
The anocutaneous line represents the transition point from non-keratinized
stratified squamous epithelium of the anal canal to
keratinized
Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. Alpha-keratin (α-keratin) is a type of keratin found in vertebrates. It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, h ...
stratified squamous epithelium of the
anus and
perianal skin.
In live persons, the color of the line is white, hence the alternative name. It is named for
John Hilton.
See also
*
Anal canal
The anal canal is the part that connects the rectum to the anus, located below the level of the pelvic diaphragm. It is located within the anal triangle of the perineum, between the right and left ischioanal fossa. As the final functional seg ...
*
Dentate line
The pectinate line (dentate line) is a line which divides the upper two-thirds and lower third of the anal canal
The anal canal is the part that connects the rectum to the anus, located below the level of the pelvic diaphragm. It is locate ...
*
Hilton's Law Hilton's law, espoused by John Hilton in a series of medical lectures given in 1860–1862, is the observation that in the study of anatomy, the nerve supplying the muscles extending directly across and acting at a given joint not only supplies the ...
References
Digestive system
{{digestive-stub