Urethral glands of Littré

The urethral glands of Littré, often shortened to just the glands of Littré, and also known as the glands of Morgagni or intramural glands of the urethra (TA: glandulae urethrales masculinae), are small glands located in the mucosa of the anterior male urethra which secrete mucus.

Terminology

The urethral glands of Littré have been given a variety of names over the years, including the glands of Morgagni, intramural glands of the urethra, and periurethral/paraurethral glands of Littre ^8,10.

Gross anatomy

The small urethral glands of Littré are located solely along the course of the anterior male urethra, i.e. the bulbous and penile urethras. They are found in the largest quantities in the vicinity of the urethral bulb, but in fact are present all the way to the external urethral meatus ⁴. 

The glands comprise of cuboidal epithelium formed into ramifying ducts and small terminal sacs or alveoli, hence their characterization as ramified tubuloalveolar glands ⁸. These glands bear histological similarities with the female paraurethral Skene glands. The glands are found deep in the lamina propria in close proximity to the erectile tissues ¹⁰. 

Function

The glands secrete mucus into the urethra and probably also contribute to the formation of semen ^4,8.

Radiographic features

Fluoroscopy

The glands of Littré may be seen on a retrograde (ascending) urethrogram as tiny linear pools of contrast lying in the same orientation as, and filling from, the superior aspect of the penile urethra ⁵. Visualization of the glands is more common in those with pathology such as chronic infection or a stricture of the urethra ⁵.

Ultrasound

Ultrasonography of calculi of the glands of Littré has been described along with secondary glandular infection ⁴.

Development

The epithelium of the urogenital sinus gives rise to the glands of Littré, and also both the prostate and bulbourethral glands, which share the same embryological origin ¹⁰.

History and etymology

The glands of Littré were originally described by the French anatomist and surgeon Alexis Littré (1658-1726) in a monograph on the male urethra that he published in 1719. He was later a Professor of Anatomy in Paris ^3,11.

Related pathology

• littréitis ⁶

• calculi ⁴

• cysts ⁹

• carcinoma of the Littré glands: very rare ⁷