[Tubal epithelium. Scanning electron microscopy in the menstrual cycle, in pregnancy and in the menopause (author's transl)].

The Fallopian tubes of 18 women who were either in reproductive age or were menopausal were studied by scanning electron microscopy. There were different cells seen in the epithelium. These were ciliated and non-ciliated cells, and cells, with a single cilium which was central and cells with short cilia. These elements undergo cyclical changes: secretory phenomena are at their maximum during the ovulatory phase. There is no sudden desquamation in tubal epithelium, nor is there massive deciliation. All the same, there are images that look like marguerites (described in the text) which are evidence of cellular regeneration. The appearance suggests a state of rest in precocious menopausal women and in pregnancy. The phenomena seen during the secretory phases disappear and the distribution of the cells is modified. Deciliation is found 20 to 30 years after the menopause. The physiological significance of these phenomena is still uncertain and their role in pathology has still to be defined.