Dorsal artery of the penis

The Dorsal Artery of the Penis is a branch of the internal pudendal artery which ascends between the crus penis and the pubic symphysis, and, piercing the inferior fascia of the urogenital diaphragm, passes between the two layers of the suspensory ligament of the penis, and runs forward on the dorsum of the penis to the glans, where it divides into two branches, which supply the glans and prepuce. The dorsal arteries do give perforators to the corpora cavernosa, however their contribution to erectile function is inconsistent. Through retrograde flow they help supply the distal shaft skin. Additionally, they give branches to the circumflex arteries which supply the corpus spongiosum. The major clinical relevance is in the case of traumatic amputation of the penis, failure to perform re-anastomosis of the dorsal arteries leads to skin loss.

Dorsal artery of the penis
Transverse section of the penis. (Dorsal artery visible at top.)
The deeper branches of the internal pudendal artery. (Dorsal artery of penis labeled at upper right.)
Details
Sourceinternal pudendal artery
Veindeep dorsal vein of the penis
Suppliespenis
Identifiers
Latinarteria dorsalis penis
TA98A12.2.15.044M
TA24354
FMA19795
Anatomical terminology

On the penis, it lies between the dorsal nerve and deep dorsal vein, the former being on its lateral side.

It supplies the integument and fibrous sheath of the corpus cavernosum penis, sending branches through the sheath to anastomose with the deep artery of the penis.

Additional images
  • Arteries and veins of the penis (Spanish)
  • The penis in transverse section, showing the blood vessels.
  • Diagram of the arteries of the penis.
  • Cross section of penis

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 620 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)


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