492 ABDOMEN 



developed in the region of the neck of the bladder, where 

 they form a distinct sphincter. The submucous coat con- 

 nects the mucous coat loosely with the muscular coat. The 

 mucous coat is thrown into longitudinal folds. It contains 

 a number of gland follicles and lacunae, and, in addition, 

 there are present in its ventral wall two longitudinal tubules, 

 called the para-urethral ducts. They open either into the 

 urethra close to its external orifice, or directly into the 

 vestibule close to the orifice. 



The Ureters. The portions of the ureters, which lie in 

 the pelvis minor in the female, are slightly longer than the 

 corresponding parts in the male, owing to the greater width 

 of the pelvis and to the greater depth at which the bladder lies. 



In the female, as in the male, the pelvic portion of each 

 ureter first descends, along the side wall of the pelvis immedi- 

 ately in front of the hypogastric artery, and then turns for- 

 wards and medially, towards the bladder, resting upon the 

 upper surface of the levator ani. As it descends its relations 

 are in the main similar to those of the corresponding part of 

 the ureter in the male. Immediately behind it is the hypo- 

 gastric artery. Lateral to it, from above downwards, lie the 

 medial margin of the psoas major muscle, the umbilical artery, 1 

 the obturator nerve, and the obturator vessels. Its anterior 

 and medial borders are covered with peritoneum. The anterior 

 border is in relation with the corresponding ovary. It forms 

 the posterior boundary of a shallow depression, on the side 

 wall of the pelvis minor, in which the ovary is lodged and 

 which is called, therefore, the ovarian fossa. The medial, 

 peritoneal covered border of the right ureter is in relation 

 with coils of small intestine, and the corresponding border of 

 the left ureter is in relation with the pelvic colon. 



The relations of the lower part of the pelvic portion of the 

 ureter, which runs medially, are very different in the two 

 sexes. In the female that portion of the ureter runs forwards 

 and medially and passes obliquely beneath the lower border 

 of the broad ligament and obliquely across the side and front 

 of the upper end of the vagina (Fig. 225), and it enters the 

 corresponding posterior angle of the bladder about 50 mm. 

 (two inches) from its fellow of the opposite side. Beneath the 

 broad ligament, and at the lateral border of the upper end of 



1 The relative positions of the umbilical artery and the obturator nerve 

 may be reversed. 



