Synechia
A synechia (plural synechia, from the Greek συνέχεια : synécheia : coherence ) denotes in medical parlance an adhesion or fusion of tissue that is normally not directly connected.
As a result of inflammatory or traumatic processes, structures that were previously delimited by body fluids or air ( airways ) stick together. Also congenital adhesions can be described as synechiae.
Examples of acquired synechiae
- in the eye : synechiae of the iris with the cornea in front ( anterior synechiae ) or the lens behind ( posterior synechiae ),
- in the uterus : synechiae of the uterine walls, starting from the basal layer of its mucous membrane (see Asherman's syndrome ),
- on the heart : synechiae between the inner and outer leaf of the pericardium ,
- in the nose : synechiae of turbinates with the nasal septum ,
- in the kidney : synechiae of kidney corpuscles with the epithelium of Bowman's capsule ,
- on the vulva : synechiae between the inner labia .
- on the vocal cords : synechiae between the two vocal cords .
Example of natural synechia
- on the penis : synechia between penile foreskin and glans penis . In the newborn , the foreskin is usually connected by appropriate connective tissue , which normally dissolves by itself by the end of puberty at the latest .
