See Also: Cloaca(health)
cloaca(encyclopedia)
cloaca(dictionary)
cloaca(medicine)
exstrophy of the cloaca(medicine)
persistent cloaca(medicine)
ectodermal cloaca(medicine)
endodermal cloaca(medicine)
Hegg Memorial Health Center Avera Health(health)
Divine Providence Health Center Avera Health(health)

Cloaca (health)


A common passageway for feces, urine and reproduction. At one point in the development of the human embryo, there is a cloaca. It is the far end of a structure called the hindgut. This structure then divides to form a rectum, a bladder, and genitalia. The presence of a cloaca is normal in many adult animals (birds, reptiles, amphibians, some fish, and even a few mammals). However, the persistence of a persistent cloaca in a person is a birth defect (a congenital malformation).