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Innervation of the levator ani and coccygeus muscles of the female rat.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bremer, RE; Barber, MD; Coates, KW; Dolber, PC; Thor, KB
Published in: Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol
November 2003

In humans, the pelvic floor skeletal muscles support the viscera. Damage to innervation of these muscles during parturition may contribute to pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. Unfortunately, animal models that are suitable for studying parturition-induced pelvic floor neuropathy and its treatment are rare. The present study describes the intrapelvic skeletal muscles (i.e., the iliocaudalis, pubocaudalis, and coccygeus) and their innervation in the rat to assess its usefulness as a model for studies of pelvic floor nerve damage and repair. Dissection of rat intrapelvic skeletal muscles demonstrated a general similarity with human pelvic floor muscles. Innervation of the iliocaudalis and pubocaudalis muscles (which together constitute the levator ani muscles) was provided by a nerve (the "levator ani nerve") that entered the pelvic cavity alongside the pelvic nerve, and then branched and penetrated the ventromedial (i.e., intrapelvic) surface of these muscles. Innervation of the rat coccygeus muscle (the "coccygeal nerve") was derived from two adjacent branches of the L6-S1 trunk that penetrated the muscle on its rostral edge. Acetylcholinesterase staining revealed a single motor endplate zone in each muscle, closely adjacent to the point of nerve penetration. Transection of the levator ani or coccygeal nerves (with a 2-week survival time) reduced muscle mass and myocyte diameter in the iliocaudalis and pubocaudalis or coccygeus muscles, respectively. The pudendal nerve did not innervate the intrapelvic skeletal muscles. We conclude that the intrapelvic skeletal muscles in the rat are similar to those described in our previous studies of humans and that they have a distinct innervation with no contribution from the pudendal nerve.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol

DOI

ISSN

1552-4884

Publication Date

November 2003

Volume

275

Issue

1

Start / End Page

1031 / 1041

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Rats
  • Prolapse
  • Perineum
  • Pelvic Floor
  • Muscular Atrophy
  • Muscle, Skeletal
  • Female
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Denervation
  • Animals
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Bremer, R. E., Barber, M. D., Coates, K. W., Dolber, P. C., & Thor, K. B. (2003). Innervation of the levator ani and coccygeus muscles of the female rat. Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol, 275(1), 1031–1041. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.a.10116
Bremer, Ronald E., Matthew D. Barber, Kimberly W. Coates, Paul C. Dolber, and Karl B. Thor. “Innervation of the levator ani and coccygeus muscles of the female rat.Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol 275, no. 1 (November 2003): 1031–41. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.a.10116.
Bremer RE, Barber MD, Coates KW, Dolber PC, Thor KB. Innervation of the levator ani and coccygeus muscles of the female rat. Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol. 2003 Nov;275(1):1031–41.
Bremer, Ronald E., et al. “Innervation of the levator ani and coccygeus muscles of the female rat.Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol, vol. 275, no. 1, Nov. 2003, pp. 1031–41. Pubmed, doi:10.1002/ar.a.10116.
Bremer RE, Barber MD, Coates KW, Dolber PC, Thor KB. Innervation of the levator ani and coccygeus muscles of the female rat. Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol. 2003 Nov;275(1):1031–1041.
Journal cover image

Published In

Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol

DOI

ISSN

1552-4884

Publication Date

November 2003

Volume

275

Issue

1

Start / End Page

1031 / 1041

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Rats
  • Prolapse
  • Perineum
  • Pelvic Floor
  • Muscular Atrophy
  • Muscle, Skeletal
  • Female
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Denervation
  • Animals