Abstract
The whole length of the posterior urethra of the male is sphincter-active and the feasibility of operations upon it such as the resolution of prostatic obstruction and the repair of pelvic fracture strictures depends upon two facts:
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1.
The occlusive competence of the bladder neck mechanism (formerly known as the internal sphincter), which extends from the internal meatus down to the level of the verumontanum, is structurally and functionally distinct from the distal urethral mechanism (formerly known as the external sphincter), which extends from the membranous urethra up to level of the verumontanum on the inside of the prostate. The commonest cause of intermittent urine leakage after prostatectomy is in fact the result of persistent instability of the detrusor, with or without an element of sphincter impairment.
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2.
The functionally distinct mechanisms of the bladder neck and of the distal urethral mechanism are both independently competent and individually capable of maintaining continence in the absence of the other (Turner-Warwick, 1968, 1970).
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© 1986 Martinus Nijhoff, Publishers, Dordrecht
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Turner-Warwick, R. (1986). The Sphincter Mechanisms of the Male and the Prevention of Postprostatectomy Incontinence. In: Debruyne, F.M.J., van Kerrebroeck, P.E.V.A. (eds) Practical Aspects of Urinary Incontinence. Developments in Surgery, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4237-0_28
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4237-0_28
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