Expansion
Rectovesical pouch in the male; vesicouterine and rectouterine pouches in the female
Expansion
Male
- Rectovesical pouch - between the rectum and the bladder
Female
- Vesicouterine pouch - between the bladder and the uterus
- Rectouterine pouch (of Douglas) - between the uterus and the rectum; the deeper of the two
These are the most dependent parts of the peritoneal cavity when upright, so pus, blood and malignant deposits gravitate here.
Clinical consequences:
- A pelvic abscess presents with diarrhoea, mucus and tenesmus from rectal irritation, and is palpable on rectal or vaginal examination
- Blood from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy collects here, causing cervical excitation
- Peritoneal metastases here form a palpable shelf on rectal examination