Uterus_masculinus

Prostatic utricle

Prostatic utricle

Indentation in the prostatic urethra of human males

The prostatic utricle (Latin for "small pouch of the prostate") is a small indentation in the prostatic urethra, at the apex of the urethral crest, on the seminal colliculus (verumontanum), laterally flanked by openings of the ejaculatory ducts. It is also known as the vagina masculina,[lower-alpha 1] uterus masculinus or (in older literature) vesicula prostatica.[2]

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Structure

It is often described as "blind", meaning that it is a duct that does not lead to any other structures.[3] It tends to be about one cm in length.[4] It can sometimes be enlarged.[5][6] The utricle is deemed enlarged if it allows insertion of a cystoscope at least 2 cm deep.[7] This is often associated with hypospadias.[8]

Dissection of prostate showing prostatic utricle opening into the prostatic urethra.

Function

The prostatic utricle is a remnant that is homologous to the female uterus (including the cervix) and vagina, usually described as derived from the paramesonephric ducts,[9] although this is occasionally disputed.[10]

In 1905, Robert William Taylor described the function of the utricle: "In coitus it so contracts that it draws upon the openings of the ejaculatory ducts, and thus renders them so patulous that the semen readily passes through."[11]

See also

Notes

  1. Especially in cases with intersex men who have female internal organs.[1]

References

  1. [1]
    S., Manjiri S.; Luthra, Kush; S.K., Padmalatha; Shetty, Jeevak; Patil, Neehar (9 December 2020). "Symptomatic prostatic utricle: various approaches for treatment". Annals of Pediatric Surgery. 16 (50). Springer Nature. doi:10.1186/s43159-020-00062-8.
  2. [2]
    Henry Thompson (1883). "vesicula+prostatica"+utricle&pg=PA13 The diseases of the prostate. J&A Churchill.
  3. [3]
    Butler, Paul; Mitchell, Adam W. M.; Ellis, Harold (1999). Applied Radiological Anatomy (illustrated ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 286. ISBN 9780521481106.
  4. [4]
    Cunningham, Daniel John (1968). Manual of Practical Anatomy: Thorax and abdomen. Vol. 2 (13th ed.). University of Michigan: Oxford University Press. p. 238.
  5. [5]
    Meisheri IV, Motiwale SS, Sawant VV (2000). "Surgical management of enlarged prostatic utricle". Pediatr. Surg. Int. 16 (3): 199–203. doi:10.1007/s003830050722. PMID 10786981. S2CID 194522.
  6. [6]
    Lopatina OA, Berry TT, Spottswood SE (2004). "Giant prostatic utricle (utriculus masculinis): diagnostic imaging and surgical implications". Pediatr Radiol. 34 (2): 156–159. doi:10.1007/s00247-003-1048-9. PMID 12961046. S2CID 37893438.
  7. [7]
    Kogan, S.J.; Hafez, E.S. (2012). Pediatric Andrology. Clinics in Andrology. Vol. 7 (illustrated ed.). Springer Science & Business Media. p. 188. ISBN 9789401037198.
  8. [8]
    Al-Salem, Ahmed H. (2016). An Illustrated Guide to Pediatric Urology. Springer. p. 446. ISBN 9783319441825.
  9. [9]
    Kawashima, A.; Sandler, C. M.; Wasserman, N. F.; LeRoy, A. J.; King, B. F.; Goldman, S. M. (1 October 2004). "Imaging of Urethral Disease: A Pictorial Review". Radiographics. 24 (suppl_1): S195–S216. doi:10.1148/rg.24si045504. PMID 15486241. S2CID 28296852.
  10. [10]
    Shapiro E, Huang H, McFadden DE, et al. (2004). "The prostatic utricle is not a Müllerian duct remnant: immunohistochemical evidence for a distinct urogenital sinus origin". J. Urol. 172 (4 Pt 2): 1753–1756, discussion 1756. doi:10.1097/01.ju.0000140267.46772.7d. PMID 15371806.
  11. [11]
    R. W. Taylor. "A practical treatise on sexual disorders of the male and female". New York and Philadelphia, 1897; 3rd edition, 1905. p. 48

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