Urethra

Generality

The urethra is the duct which, starting at the level of the bladder and ending at the level of the urinary meatus, is mainly used for the expulsion of urine.

The male urethra is different from the female urethra: first of all, it is decidedly longer (15-20 centimeters against the 4-5 centimeters of the female urethra); secondly, it also acts as a channel for the passage of sperm ( in women, the urethra has an exclusively urinary function).
From the histological point of view, it has various epithelia - including the so-called urothelium (or transitional epithelium) - and two cassocks: the mucous cassock and the muscular cassock.
The best known and most widespread pathological conditions that can affect the urethra are urethral stricture - which is the narrowing of the urethra - and urethritis - which is inflammation, often on an infectious basis, of the urethra.