title: What is the origin of the arterial vascularization of the corpora cavernosa? A computer-assisted anatomic dissection study.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify the microscopic arterial vascularization of the corpora cavernosa (CC) of the penis using computer-assisted anatomic dissection (CAAD), determine the contribution of the different penile arteries towards this vascularization, detail the nature of cavernospongiosum shunts, and locate the anastomoses between these different arteries. Tissue specimens were taken from five donors who donated their bodies to science. The specimens were fixed in 10% formalin and sliced into a series of five 5-μm sections at intervals of 200 μm. The first section was stained with hematoxylin-eosin or Masson's trichrome and the second with anti-protein S100. The cavernous artery of the penis is not the only source of arterial vascularization of the CC. In four of the five cases studied, we found two to four perforating branches arising from the dorsal arteries of the penis that join up with the cavernous artery of the penis or that are solely responsible for the vascularization of the distal third of the penis. The bulbo-urethral and urethral arteries are situated outside of the tunica albuginea of the corpus spongiosum on their lateral and dorsal sides. The anastomoses do not occur between the cavernous artery of the penis and the corpus spongiosum but between the cavernous artery of the penis and the urethral artery on the surface of the tunica albuginea. All of these arteries are accompanied by nerve branches. The CC were found to be vascularized by both cavernous and dorsal arteries of the penis. Intrapenile vascularization is organized around four arterial axes, which are anastomosed by multiple neurovascular shunts.
authors: Laboratory of Experimental Surgery EA4122, University Paris-Sud, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France; Urology Department, G.H. Paris-Sud APHP, University Paris-Sud, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.
authors: Djibril
authors: D
authors: Diallo
authors: Mazen
authors: M
authors: Zaitouna
authors: Bayan
authors: B
authors: Alsaid
authors: Jeannine
authors: J
authors: Quillard
authors: Stéphane
authors: S
authors: Droupy
authors: Gérard
authors: G
authors: Benoit
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Bessede
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001158:Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D001165:Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000473:pathology; D002102:Cadaver; D004210:Dissection / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010409:Penile Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D010413:Penis / Q000098:blood supply*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted
keywords: cavernous artery; cavernous urethral shunt; corpora cavernosa; erection; penis
references: Acta Anat (Basel). 1952;14(3):217-62
references: 14943379
references: Eur Urol. 1999 Aug;36(2):123-8
references: 10420033
references: Br J Urol. 1993 Mar;71(3):322-5
references: 8477319
references: Urology. 1997 Feb;49(2):225-30
references: 9037284
references: J Urol. 1991 May;145(5):998-1002
references: 2016818
references: Eur J Ultrasound. 2001 Dec;14(2-3):141-8
references: 11704431
references: Lancet. 1982 Feb 20;1(8269):416-8
references: 6121089
references: AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1987 May;148(5):883-8
references: 3107359
references: J Urol. 2001 Dec;166(6):2273-6
references: 11696750
references: J Urol. 1998 Oct;160(4):1325-8
references: 9751346
references: J Anat. 2009 May;214(5):645-54
references: 19438760
references: Eur Urol. 2007 May;51(5):1229-35
references: 16989942
references: Eur Urol. 2012 Mar;61(3):571-6
references: 22225830
references: BJU Int. 2005 Jun;95(9):1226-31
references: 15892806
references: J Urol. 1997 Oct;158(4):1408-10
references: 9302132
references: J Urol. 1999 Dec;162(6):1987-91
references: 10569553
references: Surg Radiol Anat. 1997;19(3):161-7
references: 9381317
references: J Anat. 1999 Nov;195 ( Pt 4):605-15
references: 10634698