In
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
, excavation has two meanings:
*the act of hollowing out
*the space hollowed out, or a natural cavity or pouch
Examples of the latter include:
*
Rectouterine pouch
The rectouterine pouch (recto-uterine pouch), pouch of Douglas, or rectovaginal pouch is the extension of the peritoneum between the rectum and the posterior wall of the uterus in the human female. Its anterior boundary is formed by the posterior f ...
or excavation, between the
uterus
The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The uter ...
and the
rectum
The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals, and the Gastrointestinal tract, gut in others. The adult human rectum is about long, and begins at the rectosigmoid junction (the end of the s ...
*
Rectovesical excavation
The rectovesical pouch is the pocket that lies between the rectum and the urinary bladder, bladder in Male, males in Human, humans and other mammals. It is lined by peritoneum.
Structure
The rectovesical pouch is a space between the rectum and ...
, between the rectum and the male
bladder
The urinary bladder, or simply bladder, is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine enters ...
*
Vesicouterine excavation
In human female anatomy, the vesicouterine pouch, also uterovesicle pouch, is a fold of peritoneum over the uterus and the bladder. Like the rectouterine pouch, it is a female pelvic recess, but shallower and closer to the anterior fornix of the ...
, between the bladder and the uterus in a female
Medical terminology
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