Archives of Surgery · 1951 · 44 citations · 5 references
Female UrethraTopographical AnatomyGynecologyClinical AnatomySurgeryParathyroid GlandAnatomyParaurethral DuctsComparative AnatomyReconstructive UrologyUrogenital RadiologyGross AnatomyApplied AnatomyDetailed AnatomySurgical PathologyUrogynecologyFemale UrologyBenign Prostatic HyperplasiaClinical SignificanceUrologyPelvic ProlapseUterine PhysiologyThoracic SurgeryMedicine
THE DETAILED anatomy of the paraurethral ducts and glands has been described in a previous contribution.<sup>1</sup>At that time it was shown by serial section wax model reconstructions that the normal female urethra is surrounded by a labyrinthine mass of paraurethral tubules, canaliculi and glandular elements. These structures are homologs of the prostate.<sup>2</sup>While they are vestigial in the female, they may at times give rise to pathologic entities of clinical significance. Historically, it is of interest to note that Regeneri de Graaf described<sup>3</sup>and illustrated (fig. 1) a glandlike structure about the female urethra which he called a female prostate. Alexander Skene<sup>4</sup>drew attention to two paraurethral ducts (Skene's ducts) and emphasized their importance in infections of the female genitalia. Skene's contribution was based on anatomic studies, and the illustrations (fig. 2) accompanying it are still the basis for most of the descriptions in modern
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