Page 41 - SONO 260 Chapter 13 The Male Pelvis

ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY OF THE PROSTATE AND SEMINAL VESICLES
• THE PROSTATE IS A RETROPERITONEAL GLAND THAT PRODUCES AND SECRETES AN ALKALINE FLUID THAT CONSTITUTES BETWEEN 13 AND 30% OF THE VOLUME OF SEMEN.
• THE GLAND IS LOCATED INFERIOR TO THE URINARY BLADDER, BETWEEN THE SYMPHYSIS PUBIS AND THE RECTUM.
• IT IS SHAPED LIKE AN INVERTED PYRAMID, WITH ITS BASE LOCATED SUPERIOR AND ITS APEX POSITIONED INFERIOR.
• THE PROSTATE IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR ZONES. THE PROSTATIC URETHRA, WHICH IS USED AS THE POINT OF REFERENCE FOR THE ZONES, TRAVELS THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE PROSTATE.
• AN ADDITIONAL AREA, THE ANTERIOR FIBROMUSCULAR STROMA, IS LOCATED ANTERIOR TO THE PROSTATIC URETHRA AND IS OF LITTLE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE.
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