Ectopia
Ectopia ( Greek εκτοπία ektopía , German 'extra-locality' ; from εκτός ektós , German 'outside' , and τόπος tópos , German 'place' ) is in medicine a displacement of tissue to an unusual place within the body or often to its surface where this tissue is usually not located. This is a developmental disorder in the embryo or fetus stage , in which small amounts of tissue or entire organs can settle in the wrong place.
When an entire embryo develops outside the uterus, one speaks of an "ectopic pregnancy" or extrauterine pregnancy .
Congenital ectopias
- Bladder exstrophy ( Ectopia vesicae urinalis ): The urinary bladder lies, at least partially, outside the abdominal cavity as a result of an abdominal wall defect.
- Testicular ectopia ( ectopia testis ): Instead of migrating into the scrotum ( Descensus testis , "testicular descent"), the testicles get under the skin in the groin or thigh.
- Heartctopia ( Ectopia cordis ): The heart lies outside the chest .
- Lens ectopy ( Ektopia lentis congenita ): displacement of the lens of the eye
- Uretererectopy ( ectopia ureteris ): The opening of the ureter ( ureter ) does not take place at the intended place in the urinary bladder , but further down in the direction of the bladder outlet, in extreme cases into the urethra , whereby it is shifted behind the occlusion devices and thus the urine is no longer can be withheld ( urinary incontinence or urine dripping).
- Thyroid ectopy: abnormal position of the thyroid gland due to a disruption of descent during embryonic development
- Meningomyelocele ( ectopia spinalis , form of the spina bifida aperta)
- Renal ectopy : abnormal location of the kidney
- Macular ectopy : distortion of the "yellow spot" on the retina of the eye
Traumatic ectopias
- Lens dislocation ( ectopia lentis )
Hormonal Ectopias
- Portioectopy : Occurrence of columnar epithelium in the area of the external cervix ( portio vaginalis uteri ) instead of non-keratinizing squamous epithelium . Portioectopy occurs physiologically in many women .
