pararectal fossa

{{Infobox anatomy

| Name = Pararectal fossa

| Latin = fossa pararectalis

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| Caption = The peritoneum of the male pelvis. (Pararectal fossa visible at center left.)

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| Caption2 = Female pelvis and its contents, seen from above and in front. (Pararectal fossa labeled at bottom left.)

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The pararectal fossa (or pararectal pouch) is an inferior-ward extension of the peritoneum on either side of the rectum. It is formed by a (sacrogenital) fold of peritoneum extending inferiorly (downwards) from the posterolateral pelvic wall. It represents a lateral extension of the rectouterine pouch in the female, and of rectovesical pouch in the male.{{Cite web |title=pararectal fossa |url=https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/pararectal+fossa |access-date=2023-06-22 |website=TheFreeDictionary.com}} It varies in size with the distension of the rectum.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

In females, the pararectal fossae often represent the inferior-most portion of the peritoneal cavity (sometimes, the inferior-most portion is instead rectouterine pouch).{{cite book |last1=Moore |first1=Keith L. |title=Essential Clinical Anatomy |last2=Dalley |first2=Arthur F. |last3=Agur |first3=Anne M. R. |publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins |year=2017 |isbn=978-1496347213 |page= |pages=570}}