Sexual Anatomy and Erectile Dysfunction
The penis consists of two parallel cylinders of erectile tissue, the corpora cavernosa, and a smaller, single ventrally placed cylinder, the corpus spongiosum, which surrounds the urethra and distally forms the glans penis. The corpora cavernosa are composed of a meshwork of interconnected cavernosal spaces lined by vascular endothelium. They share an incomplete septum that allows them to function as a single unit.
Blood flow is provided primarily by the cavernosal branches of the internal pudendal artery. Each branch divides into numerous terminal branches that open directly into the cavernous spaces. Venous drainage of the erectile bodies occurs via postcavernous venules that coalesce to form large emissary veins that pierce the tunica albuginea before draining into the deep dorsal vein.
Autonomic and somatic nerves innervate the penis. Parasympathetic nerve fibers originate from sacral segments of the spinal cord, while sympathetic nerves originate from lower thoracic and upper lumbar segments. Somatic sensory and motor fibers enter and leave the sacral cord and innervate the penis and the perineum via the pudendal nerve.
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