[Pattison fascia: the forgotten eponym?].

Denonvilliers' fascia is known to every urologist as one of the most important structures of the pelvis separating the posterior surface of the prostate and the bladder from the anterior aspect of the rectum. Charles-Pierre Denonvilliers (1808-1872) introduced this "Aponévrose prostato-péritonéale" for the first time in 1836 in Paris, without discussing its surgical importance. Already in 1820 the Scotsman Granville Sharp Pattison (1791-1851) had described this "Fascia of the prostate gland" as a structure to be preserved during perineal lithotomy, a frequently performed procedure in those days. According to Pattison the intraoperative damage of this fascia and subsequent urine extravasation with infection of the anterior rectum was the main reason for the high mortality of this operation at that time. Therefore, it is surprising that the eponym of this fascia is not related with the name of Pattison today.