Muscular development of the bladder neck in the human fetus

We conducted a histologic study of the muscular development of the bladder neck in human fetuses of 5 to 23 cm crown-rump length (CRL) and in neonates in special reference to the middle circular layer of the posterior wall of the bladder neck (posterior circular muscle of the bladder neck) and the deep trigonal muscle. Our attempt was to determine the anatomic relationship between and the origins of the two musculatures. The posterior circular muscle had begun to differentiate in the fetus of 8.3 cm CRL in which the trigonal musculature was indistinguishable. Differentiation of the deep trigonal musculature was evident in the fetus of 17 cm CRL; a complete growth in which the muscle was connected to the posterior circular muscle of the bladder neck was evident only in the largest fetus (23 cm CRL). We conclude that the deep trigonal muscle and the posterior circular muscle of the bladder neck are of different origins.