Duct of Rivinus

Last revised by Joachim Feger on 11 Jul 2024

The duct of Rivinus, also known as the minor sublingual duct, drains saliva from the sublingual gland into the floor of the mouth.

Despite its name, it is not a single duct, but numerous small ducts, all of which open into the floor of the mouth and are collectively termed the duct of Rivinus.

Occasionally, the anterior part of the sublingual gland is drained by a single larger duct, termed the major sublingual duct (of Bartholin), which opens together with the submandibular duct at the sublingual papilla at the base of the frenulum of the tongue 4.

History and etymology

The duct of Rivinus was first described by Augustus Quirinus Rivinus (1652–1723), a German anatomist 2. The Bartholin duct is named after its discoverer, the Danish anatomist Caspar Bartholin the Younger (1655-1738) 3.

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