In human anatomy, the dorsal veins of the penis comprise the superficial dorsal vein of the penis and the deep dorsal vein of the penis.

Superficial dorsal vein

The ''superficial dorsal vein of the penis'' drains the

prepuce Prepuce , or as an adjective, preputial , refers to two homologous structures of male and female genitals: *Clitoral hood, skin surrounding and protecting the head of the clitoris *Foreskin, skin surrounding and protecting the head of the penis in ...

and skin of the

penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males do n ...

, and, running backward in the

subcutaneous tissue The subcutaneous tissue (), also called the hypodermis, hypoderm (), subcutis, superficial fascia, is the lowermost layer of the integumentary system in vertebrates. The types of cells found in the layer are fibroblasts, adipose cells, and macr ...

, inclines to the right or left, and opens into the corresponding

superficial external pudendal vein The external pudendal veins (deep pudendal & superficial pudendal) are veins of the pelvis which drain into the great saphenous vein. Additional Images File:Slide2Thai.JPG, Anterior abdominal wall. Superficial dissection. Anterior view. File:Slid ...

, a tributary of the

great saphenous vein The great saphenous vein (GSV, alternately "long saphenous vein"; ) is a large, subcutaneous, superficial vein of the leg. It is the longest vein in the body, running along the length of the lower limb, returning blood from the foot, leg and thig ...

. In contrast to the deep dorsal vein, it lies ''outside''

Buck's fascia Buck's fascia (deep fascia of the penis, Gallaudet's fascia or fascia of the penis) is a layer of deep fascia covering the three erectile bodies of the penis. Structure Buck's fascia is continuous with the external spermatic fascia in the scrotu ...

. It is possible for the vein to rupture, which presents in a manner similar to

penile fracture Penile fracture is rupture of one or both of the '' tunica albuginea'', the fibrous coverings that envelop the penis's '' corpora cavernosa''. It is caused by rapid blunt force to an erect penis, usually during vaginal intercourse, or aggressive ...

Deep dorsal vein

The ''deep dorsal vein of the penis'' lies beneath the

deep fascia of the penis Buck's fascia (deep fascia of the penis, Gallaudet's fascia or fascia of the penis) is a layer of deep fascia covering the three erectile bodies of the penis. Structure Buck's fascia is continuous with the external spermatic fascia in the scrot ...

; it receives the blood from the

glans penis In male human anatomy, the glans penis, commonly referred to as the glans, is the bulbous structure at the distal end of the human penis that is the human male's most sensitive erogenous zone and their primary anatomical source of sexual p ...

and

corpora cavernosa penis A corpus cavernosum penis (singular) (literally "cave-like body" of the penis, plural corpora cavernosa) is one of a pair of sponge-like regions of erectile tissue, which contain most of the blood in the penis during an erection. Such a corpus ...

and courses backward in the middle line between the dorsal arteries; near the

root of the penis In human male anatomy, the radix () or root of the penis is the internal and most proximal potrion of the human penis that lies in the perineum. Unlike the pendulous body or ''corpus'' of the penis which is suspended from the pubic symphysis, the r ...

it passes between the two parts of the

suspensory ligament A suspensory ligament is a ligament that supports a body part, especially an organ. Types include: * Suspensory ligament of axilla, also known as Gerdy's ligament * Cooper's ligaments, also known as the suspensory ligaments of Cooper or Suspensory ...

and then through an aperture between the

arcuate pubic ligament The pubic symphysis is a secondary cartilaginous joint between the left and right superior rami of the pubis of the hip bones. It is in front of and below the urinary bladder. In males, the suspensory ligament of the penis attaches to the pubic ...

and the

transverse ligament of the pelvis Transverse may refer to: *Transverse engine, an engine in which the crankshaft is oriented side-to-side relative to the wheels of the vehicle *Transverse flute, a flute that is held horizontally * Transverse force (or ''Euler force''), the tangen ...

, and divides into two branches, which enter the vesical and prostatic plexuses. The deep vein also communicates below the

pubic symphysis The pubic symphysis is a secondary cartilaginous joint between the left and right superior rami of the pubis of the hip bones. It is in front of and below the urinary bladder. In males, the suspensory ligament of the penis attaches to the pubic ...

with the

internal pudendal vein The internal pudendal veins (internal pudic veins) are a set of veins in the pelvis. They are the venae comitantes of the internal pudendal artery. Internal pudendal veins are enclosed by pudendal canal, with internal pudendal artery and pudendal ...

Clinical significance

The dorsal veins of the penis can be used for intravenous injections in

rats Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

In popular culture

The surface pattern of the

Snickers Snickers is a chocolate bar made by the American company Mars, Incorporated, consisting of nougat topped with caramel and peanuts that is encased in milk chocolate. The annual global sales of Snickers was over $3 billion . In the United Ki ...

candy bar has been compared to the appearance of the dorsal veins of the penis, colloquially referred to as "

dick Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to: Media * ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia * Dicks (band), a musical group * ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film * "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat Names ...

veins". In April 2022, a

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

user satirically claimed in a viral tweet that

was removing the "dick vein" design from the top of the candy bar, prompting a backlash from unwitting Snickers fans. Due to the volume of response, Snickers clarified in its own viral tweet that the "veins remain".

Additional images

File:Gray585.png, The veins of the right half of the male pelvis File:Gray1159.png, Veins of the penis File:Gray1156.png, Vertical section of bladder, penis, and urethra File:Gray1155.png, Transverse section of the penis File:Slide4Nemo.JPG, Anterior abdominal wall, intermediate dissection

References

External links

* () {{Portal bar, Anatomy Veins of the torso Human penis anatomy