| Rectoprostatic fascia | |
|---|---|
 Rectoprostatic fascia
| |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | Fascia rectoprostatica |
| TA98 | A04.5.03.004M |
| TA2 | 3831 |
| FMA | 19933 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The rectoprostatic fascia (Denonvilliers' fascia) is a membranous partition at the lowest part of the rectovesical pouch. It separates the prostate and urinary bladder from the rectum. It consists of a single fibromuscular structure with several layers that are fused together and covering the seminal vesicles. It is also called Denonvilliers' fascia after French anatomist and surgeon Charles-Pierre Denonvilliers.
The structure corresponds to the rectovaginal fascia in the female. The rectoprostatic fascia also inhibits the posterior spread of prostatic adenocarcinoma; therefore invasion of the rectum is less common than is invasion of other contiguous structures.