Prostatic utricle

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title: "Prostatic utricle" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["prostate", "vagina"] description: "Indentation in the prostatic urethra of human males" topic_path: "general/prostate" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostatic_utricle" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Indentation in the prostatic urethra of human males ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox anatomy"]

Field	Value
Name	Prostatic utricle
Latin	utriculus prostaticus,
utriculus masculinus,
vagina masculina,
sinus pocularis
Image	Prostate - Gray1153.png
Caption	Vesiculae seminales and ampullae of ductus deferentes, seen from the front.
Image2	Gray1142.png
Caption2	The male urethra laid open on its anterior (upper) surface.
Precursor	Paramesonephric ducts
::

| Name = Prostatic utricle | Latin = utriculus prostaticus, utriculus masculinus, vagina masculina, sinus pocularis | Image = Prostate - Gray1153.png | Caption = Vesiculae seminales and ampullae of ductus deferentes, seen from the front. | Image2 = Gray1142.png | Caption2 = The male urethra laid open on its anterior (upper) surface. | Precursor = Paramesonephric ducts | System = 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, uterus masculinus or (in older literature) vesicula prostatica.

Structure

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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Prostatic_urethra.svg" caption="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, although this is occasionally disputed.

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."

Notes

References

References

1. (9 December 2020). "Symptomatic prostatic utricle: various approaches for treatment". [[Springer Nature]].
2. Henry Thompson. (1883). "The diseases of the prostate". J&A Churchill.
3. (1999). "Applied Radiological Anatomy". Cambridge University Press.
4. Cunningham, Daniel John. (1968). "Manual of Practical Anatomy: Thorax and abdomen". Oxford University Press.
5. (2000). "Surgical management of enlarged prostatic utricle". Pediatr. Surg. Int..
6. (2004). "Giant prostatic utricle (utriculus masculinis): diagnostic imaging and surgical implications". Pediatr Radiol.
7. (2012). "Pediatric Andrology". Springer Science & Business Media.
8. Al-Salem, Ahmed H.. (2016). "An Illustrated Guide to Pediatric Urology". Springer.
9. Kawashima, A.. (1 October 2004). "Imaging of Urethral Disease: A Pictorial Review". Radiographics.
10. (2004). "The prostatic utricle is not a Müllerian duct remnant: immunohistochemical evidence for a distinct urogenital sinus origin". J. Urol..
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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