Tunica albuginea (penis)

For other structures with the same name, see Tunica albuginea (disambiguation).
Tunica albuginea (penis)

Transverse section of the penis.

The penis in transverse section with tunica albuginea shown.
Details
Identifiers
Latin tunica albuginea corporum cavernosorum, tunica albuginea corporis spongiosi
TA A09.4.01.017
A09.4.01.018
FMA 19630

Anatomical terminology

The tunica albuginea is the fibrous envelope of the corpora cavernosa penis. It consists of approximately 5% elastin, an extensible tissue that is primarily made up of the amino acids glycine, valine, alanine, and proline. The majority of the remaining tissue is collagen, which is made up of lysine, proline, glycine, alanine, and other amino acids.[1]

The tunica albuginea is directly involved in maintaining an erection; that is due to Buck's fascia constricting the deep dorsal vein of the penis, preventing blood from leaving and thus sustaining the erect state.

The trabeculae of the tunica albuginea are more delicate, nearly uniform in size, and the meshes between them smaller than in the corpora cavernosa penis: their long diameters, for the most part, corresponding with that of the penis.

The external envelope or outer coat of the corpus spongiosum is formed partly of unstriped muscular fibers, and a layer of the same tissue immediately surrounds the canal of the urethra.

Additional images

References

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


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.