Intervillous Space

In the placenta the intervillous space is the space between chorionic villi and contains maternal blood.

Intervillous space. Imagining the villi as tree like projections can help visualise their structure. Intervillous space the space of the placenta into which the chorionic villi project and through which the maternal blood circulates. Look it up now. Meckel s space a recess in the dura mater that lodges the trigeminal ganglion.

The intervillous space has free communication with venous sinusoids at its periphery and from the 8th week of gestation direct channels can also be observed through the cytotrophoblast shell connecting the maternal spiral arteries with the intervillous space. They divide the placenta into 15 or 20 compartments which are called cotyledons. Table 1 1 mechanisms of transport. In human embryology intervillous space is the space between the villi containing the vessels of the mother and the embryo.

The flow of the placental blood amounts to 600 cm3 min and the pressure in the spiral arteries to 70 mm hg. Neighboring villi usually do not touch one another. When fibrin entirely encases a villus the villous syncytiotrophoblast covering gradually degenerates. The intervillous space is normally filled with maternal blood and a small amount of fibrin with the villi evenly spaced.

Following this transaction oxygenated blood is carried back into fetal circulation by way of a single umbilical vein. Dividing partitions formed from the trophoblast shell project into the intervillous space from the decidual side. Villi growing outward within the intervillous space from the stem anchoring villi are called branching villi and provide surface area for exchange of metabolites between mother and fetus. The villi project into the intervillous space where maternal and fetal blood supplies exchange necessary gases e g oxygen and carbon dioxide and nutrients.