Anatomy of Male and Female Urethra - A Brief

1. Anatomy of Male &
Female Urethra
Presented by
Dr. Priyesh Rajput
Dept. of Anatomy

2. Urethra (male)
 8 inches (20 cm) long
 Extends from neck of the bladder to external meatus.
 It has a tortous course
 Three parts
 Prostatic urethra (1.25 inches)
 Membranous urethra (0.5 inches)
 Penile or spongy urethra(6 inches)

5. Male Urethra
 1. Prostatic part:
 Widest portion
 It is 3 cm long (1.25 inches)
 Most dilatable part
 Ducts of prostate gland
& ejaculatory ducts open
in it
 2. Membranous part:
 Lies within urogenital
diaphragm
 It is 1.5 cm long (0.5 inches)
 It is the shortest and least
dilatable part of the urethra.

6. Male Urethra cont.,
 3. Penile part:
 It is 15.5 cm (6 inches)
 Is surrounded by
erectile tissue of bulb
and corpus spongiosum
 Bulbourethral & penile
glands open in it
 It is dilated at the end as
navicular fossa

9. Urethra (male)
 External meatus is the narrowest part of the
entire urethra.
 Two sphincters:
 Internal urethral sphincter (involuntary)
 External urethral sphincter (voluntary)

10. Urethra (female)
 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) long.
 It is easily dilatable
 It is straight
 Extends from neck of the bladder to external meatus, where it
opens into the vestibule, anterior to vagina.
 Ducts of paraurethral glands opens on the sides of external
meatus.

11. Blood Supply of Urethra
Male Urethra Female Urethra
 Prostatic branches of
inferior vesical and
middle rectal arteries
 Dorsal artery of the
penis
 Arteries of the bulb of
the penis
 Internal pudendal
artery
 Vaginal artery

12. Nerve Supply of Urethra
 Parasympathetic supply
From pelvic plexus made of S2-4 roots to form
pelvic splanchnic nerve
 Sympathetic supply T12-L1-2
Form hypogastric plexus and then form pelvic
 Somatic supply
Pudendal nerve from sacral plexus
Sensory and motor to external urethral sphincter

13. Clinical Applied Anatomy of Urethra
 Urethritis
 Infection and inflammation of urethra N.
Gonorrhoea
 Rapture of Urethra
 Due to injury by a fall astride / straddle.