MALE REPRODUCTIVE ORGAN.

BY DR.MATTHEW AZUBUIKE OKEKE

 INTRODUCTION:
• THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM PRIMARILY
CONSISTS OF THE PAIRED TESTES AND THE
PENIS.
• IN ADDITION,ACCESSORY SEX GLANDS
CONTRIBUTE TO SEMINAL FLUID.THE MALE
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM MATURES DURING
ADOLESCENCE AND REMAIN ACTIVE FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE LIFESPAN OF THE MALE.
 CLASSIFICATIONS:
• MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM CAN BE DIVIDED,OR SPLIT INTO SEVEN(7)
PARTS:
• PENIS
• TESTIS(TESTES) AND EPIDIDYMIS
• SCROTUM
• SPERMATIC CORD
• PROSTATE GLAND
• BULBOURETHRAL GLANDS(ALSO CALLED COWPER’S GLAND)
• SEMINAL VESICLES.
• SPECIAL NOTE: URETHRA BEGINS FROM BASE OF BLADDER AND
TERMINATES IN GLANS PENIS,THEN OPENS OUT FOR DISPENSATION OF
URINE AND SPERM.IT IS APPROXIMATELY 20CM IN LENGTH:
• PROSTATIC URETHRA 3-4CM
• MEMBRANOUS URETHRA 1CM (SHORTEST)
• SPONGY(ALSO CALLED PENILE) URETHRA 15CM (LONGEST)
PENIS
ERECTILE TISSUES
BLOOD SUPPLY AND NERVE SUPPLY.
INNERVATION
MALE EXTERNAL GENITALIA.
 BULBO-URETHRAL GLANDS(ALSO CALLED
COWPER’S GLANDS.
• THESE SMALL GLANDS LIE POSTEROLATERAL TO
THE MEMBRANOUS URETHRA.THE LONG DUCTS
TRAVERSE THE PERINEAL MEMBRANE WITH THE
URETHRA AND ENTER ITS SPONGY PART A SHORT
DISTANCE FURTHER DISTALLY.THE CELLS OF
THESE GLANDS ARE MARKEDLY PLEOMORPHIC
AND SEEM TO SECRETE A NUMBER OF
SUBSTANCES RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME OF THE
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SEMINAL FLUID.
 BULB OF PENIS:
• THIS IS THE EXPANDED PROXIMAL PART OF THE CORPUS
SPONGIOSUM THAT IS ATTACHED TO THE INFERIOR
SURFACE OF THE PERINEAL MEMBRANE BY FIBROUS
TISSUE,BY BULBO-SPONGIOSUS MUSCLES,AND BY THE
URETHRA WHICH PIERCES THE MEMBRANE TO ENTER
THE CORPUS SPONGIOSUM IN FRONT OF ITS
POSTERIOR END.
• SPECIAL NOTE: THE URETHRA IS ACCOMPANIED BY THE
DUCTS OF THE BULBO-URETHRAL GLANDS AND BY THE
ARTERIES OF THE BULB,BOTH OF WHICH ARISE IN THE
DEEP PERINEAL SPACE.
 UROGENITAL REGION AND DIAPHRAGM
• THE UROGENITAL REGION HAS THREE LAYERS OF FASCIA SEPARATED BY THE
SUPERFICIAL AND DEEP PERINEAL SPACES FILLED BY TWO LAYERS OF MUSCLES AND
OTHER STRUCTURES.
• IN MALE,THE FASCIAL LAYERS ARE VERY OBVIOUS.THEY CONSIST OF:
• SUPERFICIAL MEMBRANOUS LAYER WHICH IS ATTACHED LATERALLY TO THE ISCHIAL
TUBEROSITIES AND TO THE ISCHIAL AND INFERIOR PUBIC RAMI,CLOSE TO THE
ATTACHMENT OF THE DEEP FASCIA OF THE THIGH.ANTERIORLY,THIS LAYER
CONTINUES ITS LATERAL ATTACHMENTS ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE BODIES OF THE
PUBIC BONES TOWARDS THE PUBIC TUBERCLES AND IS CONTINUOUS WITH THE
MEMBRANOUS LAYER OF THE SUPERFICIAL FASCIA OF THE ANTERIOR ABDOMINAL
WALL(SCARPA FASCIA).
• BETWEEN THESE ATTACHMENTS,IT FORMS THE FASCIAL SHEATH(EXTERNAL FASCIA OF
COLLES) AND FUNDIFORM LIGAMENT OF THE PENIS AND FORMS THE DARTOS LAYER
IN THE SCROTUM. ANTERIOR TO THE ANAL ORIFICE,THIS MEMBRANOUS LAYER
TURNS SUPERIORLY TO FUSE WITH THE POSTERIOR BORDER OF THE THICK MIDDLE
FASCIAL LAYER(THE INFERIOR FASCIA OF THE UROGENITAL DIAPHRAGM,OR
PERINEAL MEMBRANE) WHICH IS ALSO ATTACHED LATERALLY TO THE PUBIC ARCH.
• THE SUPERFICIAL PERINEAL SPACE WHICH LIES BETWEEN THE TWO LAYERS OF FASCIA
IS CLOSED POSTERIORLY BY THEIR FUSION.
• IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LINEOF FUSION IS THE CENTRAL PERINEAL TENDON,A
UROGENITAL REGION AND DIAPHRAGM (CONTD.).
• IN MALE,THE SUPERFICIAL PERINEAL SPACE CONTAINS A NUMBER OF NERVES AND BLOOD VESSELS,AND
THE ROOT OF PENIS SEPARATED INTI ITS THREE ELEMENTS.
• (1). THE TWO CRURA ATTACHED TO THE EVERTED EDGES OF THE ISCHIO-PUBIC RAMI,EACH COVERED BY
AN ISCHIO-CAVERNOUS MUSCLE.
• (2). THE MEDIAN BULB OF THE PENIS,COVERED BY THE BULBOSPONGIOSUS MUSCLES,IS ATTACHED TO
THE INFERIOR SURFACE OF THE PERINEAL MEMBRANE THROUGH WHICH THE URETHRA PASSES TO
ENTER THE BULB.
• THE SUPERFICIAL TRANSVERSE PERINEAL MUSCLES LIS TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE POSTERIOR MARGIN
OF THE SPACE FROM THE TUBEROSITIES OF THE ISCHIUM TO THE CENTRAL PERINEAL TENDON.
• DEEP PERINEAL SPACE: SUPERIOR TO THE PERINEAL MEMBRANE IS A THIN LAYER OF MUSCLE WHICH
STRETCHES ACROSS THE PUBIC ARCH.THE MAIN PART SURROUNDS THE URETHRA(THE VOLUNTARY
SPHINCTER URETHRAE),BUT THE POSTERIOR FIBRES PASS TRANSVERSELY AS THE DEEP TRANSVERSE
PERINEAL MUSCLES.THIS LAYER OF MUSCLE FILLS THE DEEP PERINEAL SPACE,WHICH IS LIMITED
SUPERIORLY BY THE THIRD LAYER OF FASCIA(SUPERIOR FASCIA OF THE UROGENITAL DIAPHRAGM).THISS
IS ATTACHED LATERALLY TO THE PUBIC ARCH AND FUSES ANTERIORLY AND POSTERIORLY WITH THE
PERINEAL MEMBRANE,THUS CLOSING THE DEEP PERINEAL SPACE.ANTERIORLY,THIS FUSION DOES NOT
REACH THE PUBIC SYMPHYSIS,BUT LEAVES A SPACE THROUGH WHICH THE DEEP DORSAL VEIN OF THE
PENIS(OR IN FEMALE,THE CRITORIS) ENTERS THE PELVIS.
• UROGENITAL DIAPHRAGM: THESE TWO LAYERS OF FASCIA AND THE MUSCLE ENCLOSED BY THEM
CONSTITUTE THE UROGENITAL DIAPHRAGM .THIS CLOSES THE UROGENITAL REGION OF THE INFERIOR
APERTURE OF THE PELVIS’THAT IS,FROM THE CENTRAL PERINEAL TENDON ALMOST TO THE PUBIC
SYMPHYSIS.
 TESTES AND EPIDIDYMIS:
• TESTIS:
• HAS THREE(3) CAPSULES:
• (1). TUNICA VAGINALIS
• (2). TUNICA VASCULOSA
• (3). TUNICA ALBUGINEA
• THE TUNICA ALBUGINEA THICKENS POSTERIORLY TO FORM THE MEDIASTINUM
TESTIS.MEDIASTINUM TESTIS EXTENDS SEPTAE INTO THE TESTIS DIVIDING INTO LOBULES
CALLED LOBULI TESTES.THERE ARE ABOUT 250 LOBULI TESTES,EACH CONTAINING 1-4
SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES.
• SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES:
• ARE HIGHLY CONVOLUTED STRUCTURES PRESENT IN EACH LOBULE OF THE TESTES.THE
WALL OF EACH SEMINIFEROUS TUBULE IS COVERED BY FIBROUS CONNECTIVE TISSUE AND
LINED BY A GENERATION OF SPERMATOGENIC CELLS AND SUPPORTING CELLS OF SERTOLI.
• SPERMATOGENIC CELLS OR GERM CELLS:
• THEY REPRESENT THE VARIOUS STAGES OF MATURATIONS OF SPERMATOZOA NAMELY
VIZ: SPERMATOGONIA,SPERMATOCYTES,SPERMATIDS AND SPERMATOZOA.
• SUSTENTACULAR CELLS OR SERTOLI CELLS,OR CELLS OF SERTOLI:
• THEY ARE TALL,ELONGATED COLUMNAR / OR PYRAMIDAL-SHAPED CELLS.ITS NUCLEI ARE
BASALLY LOCATED.SPERMATOGONIA ARE INTERPOSED AMONG THE SERTOLI ,OR
 TESTES CONTINUED:
• INTERSTITIAL CELLS OF LEYDIG:
• THEY ARE LARGE,ROUND,OR POLYHEDRAL CELLS
IN THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE THAT INTERVENE
BETWEEN THE CELLS OF SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES.
• RETE TESTIS AND EFFERENT DUCTULES:
• RETE TESTIS CONSISTS OF ANASTOMOSING
TUBULES LINED BY FLATTENED,OR CUBOIDAL
CELLS BEARING MICROVILLI.
• EFFERENT TUBULES:
• ARELINED BY CILIATED COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM
AND SOME NON-CILIATED CELLS BEARING
MICROVILLI.
VASCULAR SUPPLY OF TESTES AND EPIDIDYMIS:
SEMINAL VESICLE:
SPERMATIC CORD:
SCROTUM
BULBO-URETHRAL GLAND OR COWPER’S GLAND.
BULBO-URETHRAL GLAND
 NEUROVASCULAR SUPPLY:

• ARTERIAL SUPPLY OF BULBO-URETHRAL GLAND:

• IS FROM ARTERIES TO BULB OF THE PENIS.

• LYMPHATICS:
• DRAIN TO INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ILIAC LYMPH
NODES.
• NERVES:
• HYPOGASTRIC NERVE AND PELVIC NERVE,OR
PELVIC BRANCH OF PUDENDAL NERVE.
PROSTATE GLAND.
CLINICALS OR APPLIED ANATOMY.
LABORATORY TESTS FOR ENLARGED AND DISEASED
PROSTATE.
 PROSTATIC SPECIFIC ANTIGEN(PSA)
READINGS/VALUES (ng/ml):
• BELOW 2 IS VERY GOOD.
• 2-4 GOOD.
• ABOVE 4 TO 10 HIGH.
• ABOVE 10 VERY SIGNIFICANT.
DIGITAL RECTAL EXAMINATION(DRE).