Bladder shape and racial origin

Abstract

The shape of the full bladder was studied during the course of 70 consecutive normal intravenous urograms. A conical or pear-shaped bladder was more frequently seen in patients of black African origin than in white Northern Europeans and more frequently in males than in females. This configuration was found in the absence of pelvic pathology and is considered a normal variant. Non-pathological medial deviation of the ureters is not closely associated, suggesting that the mechanisms for medial placement of the ureters and conical bladder are not necessarily interrelated.