Pectinate line

Pectinate line

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Pectinate line

The pectinate line (anocutaneous line, dentate line, anal verge, anorectal junction) is a line which divides the anal canal into upper and lower half. Developmentally, this line represents the hindgut-proctodeum junction.

It is an important anatomical landmark, and several distinctions can be made based upon the location of a structure relative to this line:

Distinction	Above pectinate line	Below pectinate line \|- \| destination of lymph drainage	internal iliac lymph nodes,^[1] inferior mesenteric lymph nodes^[2] (pararectal lymph nodes),	superficial inguinal lymph nodes (below Hilton's white line)^[3] \|- \| epithelium	columnar epithelium (as is most of the digestive tract - the line represents the end of the part of the body derived from the hindgut)	stratified squamous epithelium (as is most of the skin.) \|- \| embryological origin	endoderm	ectoderm \|- \| artery	superior rectal artery	inferior rectal arteries \|- \| vein	superior rectal vein	inferior rectal vein \|- \| hemorrhoids classification	internal hemorrhoids (not painful)	external hemorrhoids (painful) \|- \| nerves	inferior hypogastric plexus	inferior rectal nerves

Additional images

<gallery> Image:Rectoanal jxn.JPG|Microscopic cross section of the anorectal junction. Image:Anorectum.gif |Anatomy of the anus and rectum Image:Gray1078.png|Coronal section of rectum and anal canal. </gallery>