Cloaca, Bladder
Cloaca

•The dilated sac-like structure in the center of the photograph is a persistent cloaca. There has been failure in early fetal life for the urorectal septum to divide the rectum from the urogenital sinus.
•The photograph is a posterior view. Entering the cloaca included the colon, the right ureter and the left ureter (not shown). The cloaca served as rectum and bladder. There was no left kidney (renal agenesis). The infant had no anus.
•The only outlet was a thin narrow urethra.
Contrib. by: UCHC
Etiology, Pathogenesis, Clinical, and More Info