Dorsal artery of the penis
The Dorsal Artery of the Penis is a branch of the internal pudendal artery which ascends between the crus penis and the pubic symphysis, and, piercing the inferior fascia of the urogenital diaphragm, passes between the two layers of the suspensory ligament of the penis, and runs forward on the dorsum of the penis to the glans, where it divides into two branches, which supply the glans and prepuce. The dorsal arteries do give perforators to the corpora caversona, however their contribution to erectile function is inconsistent. Through retrograde flow they help supply the distal shaft skin. Additionally, they give branches to the circumflex arteries which supply the corpus spongiosum. The major clinical relevance is in the case of traumatic amputation of the penis, failure to perform re-anastomosis of the dorsal arteries leads to skin loss.
On the penis, it lies between the dorsal nerve and deep dorsal vein, the former being on its lateral side.
It supplies the integument and fibrous sheath of the corpus cavernosum penis, sending branches through the sheath to anastomose with the deep artery of the penis.Additional images
