This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Male urethra

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Anatomical divisions:

  • posterior urethra
    • prostatic urethra:
      • 3-4 cm in length
      • verumontanum is a prominence on the posterior wall; ejaculatory ducts open on either side
    • membranous urethra:
    • 2 cm in length
      • from apex of the prostate to the bulb of the penis
      • site of sphincteric activity
  • anterior urethra:
    • includes bulbar and penile urethra
    • surrounded by corpus spongiosum
    • involved in emptying of urine at end of voiding and emission of semen during ejaculation
    • corpora cavernosa lie dorsally

Blood supply:

  • branches from internal pudendal artery; run through the corpus cavernosum in the 5 'o' clock and 7 'o' clock positions
  • branches of dorsal arteries to the penis; run proximally from glans penis into corpus cavernosum

Determinants of sphincteric activity:

  • inner layer of smooth muscle
  • outer layer of striated muscle, innervated by S2 and S3

Histology:

  • transitional cell epithelium proximally
  • squamous cell epithelium near external meatus at fossa navicularis

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.