Internal urethral sphincter

Internal urethral sphincter
The urinary bladder, with the position of the sphincter shown as the internal urethral orifice
Details
Origin	The inferior ramus of the pubic bone
Insertion	Perineal raphe
Nerve	Sympathetic fibers from T10-L2 through the inferior hypogastric plexus then vesical nervous plexus
Actions	Constricts proximal urethra, maintains urinary continence
Identifiers
Latin	musculus sphincter urethrae internus
TA98	A09.2.03.009 A09.4.02.013
TA2	3444, 3428
FMA	45769
Anatomical terms of muscle [ edit on Wikidata]

The internal urethral sphincter is a urethral sphincter muscle which constricts the internal urethral orifice. It is located at the junction of the urethra with the urinary bladder and is continuous with the detrusor muscle, ^{[1] [2]} but anatomically and functionally fully independent from it. ^[3] It is composed of smooth muscle, so it is under the control of the autonomic nervous system, specifically the sympathetic nervous system.

Function

The sphincter in a female, and its action to prevent urination

This is the primary muscle for maintaining continence of urine, a function shared with the external urethral sphincter which is under voluntary control. It prevents urine leakage as the muscle is tonically contracted via sympathetic fibers traveling through the inferior hypogastric plexus and vesical nervous plexus. ^[4] Specifically, it is controlled by the hypogastric nerve, predominantly via the alpha-1 adrenergic receptor. ^[5]

During urination, the preganglionic neurons of this sympathetic pathway are inhibited via signals arising in the pontine micturition center and traveling through the descending reticulospinal tracts, allowing the muscle to relax. During ejaculation, the muscle contracts to prevent reflux of semen into the urinary bladder, a phenomenon called retrograde ejaculation. ^{[6] [7]}

Spasms of the internal urethral sphincter are associated with penile erection. ^[8] Because the internal urethral sphincter is under involuntary control, it is believed to play a role in paruresis, in which a person who perceives oneself to be under observation is unable to urinate.

See also

• Detrusor muscle
• External sphincter muscle of female urethra
• External sphincter muscle of male urethra
• Physiology of urination

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 429-431 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

1. Jung J, Ahn HK, and Huh Y (September 2012). "Clinical and Functional Anatomy of the Urethral Sphincter". International Neurourology Journal. 16 (3): 102–106. doi:10.5213/inj.2012.16.3.102. PMC   3469827 . PMID   23094214.
2. Sam P, LaGrange CA (February 2019). "Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis, Sphincter Urethrae". StatPearls [Internet]. PMID   29494045.
3. Dorschner W, Stolzenburg JU, Neuhaus J (2001). Structure and Function of the Bladder Neck. Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology. Vol. 159. pp. III–XII, 1–109. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-56879-4. ISBN   978-3-540-67998-1. PMID   11417142. S2CID   36907268., page 29, Preview Amazon.
4. Shah AP, Mevcha A, Wilby D, Alatsatianos A, Hardman JC, Jacques S, Wilton JC (November 2014). "Continence and micturition: An anatomical basis" (PDF). Clinical Anatomy. 27 (8): 1275–1283. doi:10.1002/ca.22388. PMID   24615792. S2CID   21875132.
5. Chancellor, M. B.; Yoshimura, N. (2004). "Neurophysiology of Stress Urinary Incontinence". Reviews in Urology. 6 (Suppl 3): S19-28. PMC   1472861 . PMID   16985861.
6. Moore, Keith L.; Dalley, Arthur F.; Agur, A. M. R. (2013-02-13). Clinically Oriented Anatomy. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 366. ISBN   9781451119459.
7. Gupta S, Sharma R, Agarwal A, Parekh N, Finelli R, Shah R, Kandil H, Saleh R, Arafa M, Ko E, Simopoulou M, Zini A, Rajmil O, Kavoussi P, Singh K, Ambar RF, Elbardisi H, Sengupta P, Martinez M, Boitrelle F, Alves MG, Khalafalla K, Roychoudhury S, Busetto GM, Gosalvez J, Tadros N, Palani A, Rodriguez MG, Anagnostopoulou C, Micic S, Rocco L, Mostafa T, Alvarez JG, Jindal S, Sallam H, Rosas IM, Lewis S, AlSaid S, Altan M, Park HJ, Ramsay J, Parekattil S, Sabbaghian M, Tremellen K, Vogiatzi P, Gilani M, Evenson DP, Colpi GM (April 2022). "A Comprehensive Guide to Sperm Recovery in Infertile Men with Retrograde Ejaculation". The World Journal of Men's Health. 40 (2): 208–216. doi:10.5534/wjmh.210069. PMC   8987146 . PMID   34169680.
8. J. B. Macalpine (November 1934). "The Musculature of the Bladder-neck of the Male in Health and Disease". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine. 28 (1): 39–56. doi:10.1177/003591573402800112. PMC   2205523 . PMID   19990023.