Anatomy word of the month: Cul-de-sac

“Bottom of the bag” in French. In everyday English a cul-de-sac is a blind alley, a dead-end street. In anatomy a cul-de-sac is a blind-ending pouch. The most well known is the rectouterine pouch between the uterus and rectum in the female. It is also called the pouch of Douglas, named after a 17^th century Scottish anatomist. This pouch has clinical significance because it is the lowest point of the pelvic cavity of the female. Fluids and pathological material such as blood or pus may accumulate in this cul-de-sac.