Recto-vesical pouch

Recto-vesical pouch
Median sagittal section of male pelvis. (Rectovesical excavation labeled at center right.)
Male pelvic organs seen from right side. Bladder and rectum distended; relations of peritoneum to the bladder and rectum shown in blue. The arrow points to the rectovesical pouch.
Latin	Excavatio rectovesicalis
Gray's	subject #246 1152

Between the rectum and the bladder the peritoneal cavity forms, in the male, a pouch, the rectovesical excavation ('rectovesical pouch or referred to as Pouch of Ben'), the bottom of which is slightly below the level of the upper ends of the vesiculae seminales—i. e., about 7.5 cm. from the orifice of the anus. A membranous partition called the Rectoprostatic fascia (Denonvillier's fascia) is located at the lowest part of the rectovesical pouch.

The corresponding structure in women is the rectouterine pouch.

Additional images

• 

  Median sagittal section of pelvis, showing arrangement of fasciae.

• 

  The peritoneum of the male pelvis.

References

This article incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy.

External links

• rectovesical+pouch at eMedicine Dictionary
• 44:02-0201 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "The Male Pelvis: Distribution of the Peritoneum in the Male Pelvis"
• 44:st-1501 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "The Male Pelvis: Rectovesical pouch"
• Human anatomy at Dartmouth figures/chapter_35/35-1.HTM