Sulcus nervi dorsalis penis/clitoridis: anatomic structure and clinical significance

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to correlate the anatomic and clinical significance of the prepubic course of dorsal nerve of penis and its groove on the pubic bone from the perspective of the surgeon.

Methods: The course of the dorsal nerve of the penis/clitoris was studied in six male and six female formalin-fixed cadavers. Several parameters of the pubis were quantified and analysed in 286 isolated pelvises.

Results: The course of the dorsal nerve of the penis is described in detail. This pubic sulcus was present in a majority of the pelvises examined. The dorsal nerve of the penis filled this groove, which we term the "sulcus nervi dorsalis penis/clitoridis." In contrast, the dorsal nerve and artery of the clitoris coursed in this groove in women.

Conclusions: The course of dorsal nerve of the penis is described in detail including a previously unreported pubic structure-"sulcus nervi dorsalis penis/clitoridis." In the majority of individuals, the dorsal nerve of the penis/clitoris courses through the sulcus in the pubis. Based on the anatomy of the pelvic region, compression of the dorsal nerve is more apt to occur at the inferior border of the pubis or in the pubic sulcus than in the pudendal canal.