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| Corpus cavernosum penis | |
|---|---|
 Transverse section of the penis. | |
 The constituent cavernous cylinders of the penis. | |
| Details | |
| Part of | Penis |
| Artery | Cavernous artery[1] |
| Vein | Internal pudendal veins[1] |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | corpus cavernosum penis |
| TA98 | A09.4.01.014 |
| TA2 | 3678 |
| FMA | 19618 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Acorpus cavernosum penis (singular) (from Latin, characterised by "cavities/ hollows"[2] of the penis,pl.:corpora cavernosa) is one of a pair of sponge-like regions oferectile tissue, which contain most of theblood in thepenis of several animals during anerection.[3][4][5][6]
It ishomologous to thecorpus cavernosum clitoridis in the female.
The corpora cavernosa are two expandable erectile tissues along the length of the penis, which fill withblood duringpenile erection. The two corpora cavernosa lie along thepenile shaft, from thepubic bones to the head of the penis, where they join. These formations are made of a sponge-like tissue containingtrabeculae, irregular blood-filled spaces lined byendothelium and separated byseptum of the penis.[7][8]
The male anatomy has novestibular bulbs, but instead acorpus spongiosum, a smaller region of erectile tissue along the bottom of the penis, which contains theurethra and forms theglans penis.
In some circumstances, release ofnitric oxide precedes relaxation of muscles in the corpora cavernosa and corpus spongiosum, in a process similar to female arousal. The spongy tissue fills with blood, from arteries down the length of the penis. A little blood enters the corpus spongiosum; the remainder engorges the corpora cavernosa, which expand to hold 90% of the blood involved in an erection, increasing both in length and in diameter. The function of the corpus spongiosum is to prevent compression of the urethra during erection.
Blood can leave the erectile tissue only through a drainage system of veins around the outside wall of the corpus cavernosum. The expanding spongy tissue presses against a surrounding dense tissue (tunica albuginea) constricting these veins, preventing blood from leaving. The penis becomes rigid as a result. Theglans penis, the expanded cap of the corpus spongiosum, remains more malleable during erection because its tunica albuginea is much thinner than elsewhere in the penis.
