TABLE 1.
Summary of the functional anatomy of the male genital organs.
| Organ | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Penis | Composed of three chambers: paired corpora cavernosa (erectile bodies) and a midline ventral corpus spongiosum (contains urethra) |
| Main blood supply: internal pudendal artery | |
| Somatic sensation: pudendal nerve (S2-S4) | |
| Autonomic nerve fibers: cavernous nerves (pelvic plexus) contain both sympathetic (hypogastric plexus) and parasympathetic nerve fibers (S2-S4) | |
| Urethra | Four segments: prostatic urethra, membranous urethra (passes through the urogenital diaphragm), bulbar urethra, and penile urethra (ends with a small dilatation at the fossa navicularis near the meatus) |
| Cowper's glands: located on both sides of the membranous urethra and open in the bulbar urethra | |
| Veromontanum: small elevation of the posterior wall of the membranous urethra, related to ejaculatory ducts, prostatic utricle, and prostatic ducts | |
| Testis | It is divided by fibrous septa into many lobules containing seminiferous tubules |
| Leydig cells: main source of T production | |
| Seminiferous tubules: contain germ cells and sertoli cells. Forms the rete testis inside the testis mediastinum | |
| Rete testis: gives rise to 15–20 efferent ductules | |
| Epididymis | Posterior and superior to the testicle |
| Composed of head, body, and tail | |
| Efferent ductules unite to form the convoluted duct of the epididymis | |
| Becomes the vas deferens at the end of the tail | |
| Vas deferens | Muscular tube; typically 45 cm long and has a 2.5 mm diameter |
| It is a continuation of the epididymis | |
| Joins the seminal vesicle duct to form the ejaculatory duct, which then drains into the veromontanum | |
| Supplied by the vasal artery, a branch of the inferior vesical artery | |
| Prostate | Surrounds the prostatic urethra |
| Composed of 70% glandular component and 30% fibromuscular component | |
| Arterial supply: inferior vesical and middle rectal arteries | |
| Seminal vesicles |
Paired structures; located lateral to the vas deferens |
| Typically 5 cm long and 1 cm wide | |
| Joins the vas to form the ejaculatory duct | |
| Arterial supply: inferior vesical and middle rectal arteries |