Spongy urethra

Spongy urethra
Spongy urethra
	Urogenital folds
Identifiers
Latin	pars spongiosa urethrae masculinae, pars cavernosa urethrae masculinae
TA98	A09.4.02.021
TA2	3682, 3455
FMA	19675
	Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

The spongy urethra (cavernous portion of urethra, penile urethra) is the longest part of the

corpus spongiosum of the penis

.

It is about 15 cm long, and extends from the termination of the

external urethral orifice

.

Commencing below the inferior fascia of the urogenital diaphragm it passes forward and upward to the front of the pubic symphysis; and then, in the flaccid condition of the penis, it bends downward and forward.

It is narrow, and of uniform size in the body of the penis, measuring about 6 mm in diameter; it is dilated behind, within the bulb, and again anteriorly within the

fossa navicularis urethrae

.

The spongy urethra runs along the length of the penis on its ventral (underneath) surface. It is about 15–16 cm in length, and travels through the

external urethral meatus, where it is vertical. This produces a spiral stream of urine and has the effect of cleaning the external urethral meatus. ^{[citation needed]} The lack of an equivalent mechanism in the female urethra partly explains why urinary tract infections occur so much more frequently in females. ^{[citation needed}

]

Epithelium

Stratified squamous

– distally

Additional images

Structure of the penis.
Male reproductive system.

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 1234 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

^ Atlas of Human Anatomy 5th Edition, Netter.

External links

Cross section image: pembody/body18b—Plastination Laboratory at the Medical University of Vienna
Anatomy photo:44:06-0104 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "The Male Pelvis: The Urethra"

[1] Atlas of Human Anatomy 5th Edition, Netter.