Male urethra
Urethra masculina
UrinaryOrgansPelvis
Shown on the male body.
- What it is
- S-shaped tube about 20 cm long running from the bladder neck through the prostate (prostatic part), the pelvic floor (membranous part, with the external sphincter) and the corpus spongiosum (spongy part) to the external meatus on the glans.
- Function
- Carries urine from the bladder and semen from the ejaculatory ducts to the outside.
- Size
- About 18–22 cm: prostatic ~3 cm, membranous ~1–2 cm, spongy ~15 cm.
- Clinical note
- Its double curve and narrow membranous part make catheterisation harder in men; the prostatic part is squeezed by benign prostatic enlargement.