Infundibulum

From Free net encyclopedia

Template:Disambig An infundibulum (Latin for funnel; plural, infundibula) is a funnel-shape cavity or organ.

• Lungs: The alveolar sacs of the lungs from which the air chambers (alveoli) open are called infundibula.

• Heart: The outflow portion of the right ventricle is also known as the infundibulum.

• Ovaries: The end of the mammalian oviduct nearest to the ovary also bears the name infundibulum.

• Brain: A small outgrowth of the ventral wall of the embryonic brain from which the pars nervosa (the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland) develops is also called the infundibulum. (Another name for this structure is the pituitary stalk.)

• From the science fiction novel The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut the phenomenon chronosynclastic infundibulum is defined as "those places ... where all the different kinds of truths fit together".