Paravesical

Paravesical refers to structures located beside or near the urinary bladder. In pelvic anatomy, the paravesical spaces (also called paravesical fossae) are potential recesses situated lateral to the bladder. They are formed by reflections of peritoneum between the bladder and the pelvic walls and are bounded medially by the bladder and laterally by the pelvic sidewall, including the obturator internus muscle.

The paravesical spaces exist on both sides of the bladder and communicate with surrounding pelvic compartments. Their contents are variable and generally include loose connective tissue, small vessels, and lymphatic channels. Relationships to nearby structures are clinically important: the ureter courses near the lateral bladder wall, and nearby neurovascular elements in the pelvic sidewall—such as branches of the internal iliac vessels and the obturator nerve—may be encountered during dissection or surgery.

Clinical relevance arises mainly in pelvic surgery and disease assessment. During procedures such as radical hysterectomy, prostatectomy, or lymphadenectomy, the paravesical spaces are used as surgical planes to access lateral pelvic tissues while attempting to preserve nerves and the ureter. Pathology involving the bladder region, including tumors or inflammatory processes, can distort or extend into these spaces, influencing staging and operative planning. Imaging studies like CT or MRI may depict these spaces and any pathological widening or lymphadenopathy within them.

Etymology: paravesical combines para- meaning beside and vesical meaning bladder. See also pararectal and retrovesical spaces.