FETAL PENILE AND URETHRAL DEVELOPMENT SUBSEQUENT TO VASCULAR INSULT IN THE LAST TRIMESTER OF GESTATION - AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY IN GOAT FETUSES

Objective To investigate a possible mechanism (the vascular theory) in the development of congenital anomalies of the penis and urethra in t he fetus of the goat. Materials and methods Fifteen male Angora goat f etuses underwent an operation at 110-114 days of gestation whereby bra nches of the internal pudendal artery within the superficial compartme nt of the perineum were ligated, Five male fetuses served as controls in which the perineum was explored with no ligation. Results Five trea ted and three control live offspring were delivered spontaneously. Alt hough no genitourinary anomalies were observed on gross examination, h istopathological examination of the penises of treated animals reveale d smaller penises with increased fibrosis. Conclusion A defective vasc ular supply can partly explain the morphogenesis of some aspects of th e congenital anomalies of the penis and urethra.