An infundibulum (Latin for funnel; plural, infundibula) is a
funnel-shaped cavity or organ.
Anatomy
Brain: the
pituitary stalk, also known as the infundibulum and infundibular stalk, is the connection between the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary.
Hair follicle: the infundibulum is the cup or funnel in which a hair follicle grows.
Infundibulum (heart): The infundibulum of the heart, or conus arteriosus, is the outflow portion of the right ventricle.
Lung: The alveolar sacs of the lungs, from which the air chambers (alveoli) open, are also called infundibula.
Sinus (anatomy): The
ethmoidal infundibulum is the most important of three infundibula of the nose: the frontal infundibulum and the maxillary infundibulum flow into it.
Gallbladder: The Infundibulum of the gallbladder (also known as the "neck" of the gallbladder) is the end of nearest to the cystic duct, which is often dilated relative to the body of the gallbladder, and is a common site for gallstones.
Renal pelvis, sometimes called the renal infundibulum
Veterinary medicine
Infundibulum (tooth): In horses, other equines and ruminants, the infundibulum of a tooth is the central cup or funnel of tooth enamel and cementum.
Botany
Glossary of botanical terms: infundibular means "funnel-shaped" in plant morphology, for example referring to the corolla of some flowers.
Other uses
Cephalopod limb: The outer shallow cavity of a sucker on a Cephalopod limb is called an infundibulum.
In the science fiction novel The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, a "chronosynclastic infundibulum" is a kind of wormhole through time and space, defined as "where all the different kinds of truths fit together".
Ian McDonald (British author) - the Everness science fiction series is about the adventures of Everett Singh, a British boy whose understanding of the use of a quantum mechanics and an infundibulum device permits him to travel to parallel worlds under the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics.
This
disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Infundibulum. If an
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