Prostatic venous plexus
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2011) |
| Prostatic venous plexus | |
|---|---|
Pudendal plexus | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | plexus venosus prostaticus |
| TA98 | A12.3.10.013M |
| TA2 | 5043 |
| FMA | 29711 |
| Anatomical terminology] | |
The prostatic veins form a well-marked prostatic plexus which lies partly in the fascial sheath of the prostate and partly between the sheath and the
pudendal and vesical plexuses.[citation needed
]
It is sometimes known as "Santorini's plexus", named for the Italian anatomist Giovanni Domenico Santorini.
Clinical significance
The prostatic venous plexus drains into the internal iliac vein which in turn connects with the vertebral venous plexus; this is thought to be the route of bone metastasis of prostate cancer.[2]
References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 676 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
- OCLC 1132300315.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link - ^ "Male Genitals - Prostate Neoplasms". Pathology study images. University of Virginia School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
There are many connections between the prostatic venous plexus and the vertebral veins. The veins forming the prostatic plexus do not contain valves and it is thought that straining to urinate causes prostatic venous blood to flow in a reverse direction and enter the vertebral veins carrying malignant cells to the vertebral column.
External links
- Anatomy photo:44:05-0103 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "The Male Pelvis: The Prostate Gland"
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