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Dissection of male pelvis from a lateral approach

External muscles and ligaments at neck of bladder; tendinous arch of pelvic fascia, viewed from above

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Image #171-1
Diagram Image
Legend Image
Dissection of male pelvis from a lateral approach
External muscles and ligaments at neck of bladder; tendinous arch of pelvic fascia, viewed from above
The bladder and prostate have been pulled to the left to expose bands of smooth muscle alongside the neck of the bladder which form the m. pubovesicalis (24) and which continue anteriorly into the medial puboprostatic ligament (26). Laterally, the thickened part of the pelvic fascia known as the tendinous arch of the pelvic fascia (25) is seen to be attached to the prostate and neck of the bladder by the lateral puboprostatic ligament (16, upper pointer). The lateral ligament of the bladder, consisting of fibrous tissue and smooth muscle associated with the pelvic plexus and hyogastric vessels, has been removed from the specimen.
  1. Ureter (retracted)
  2. Ductus deferens
  3. Coccyx (covered by fascia)
  4. Ampulla of ductus deferens
  5. Prostatic venous plexus, prostatic vein (uninjected and cut off)
  6. Seminal vesicle
  7. Ductus deferens
  8. Inferior vesical artery
  9. Levator ani muscle (covered by superior fascia of pelvic diaphragm)
  10. Obturator internus muscle (covered by obturator fascia)
  11. Obturator vein
  12. External iliac vein
  13. Obturator artery
  14. Lateral umbilical ligament
  15. Obturator nerve
  16. Upper pointer: Lateral puboprostatic ligament Lower pointer: Obturator canal
  17. Superior pubic ramus (pointer on pectineal ligament)
  18. Pubic branch of obturator artery
  19. Body of urinary bladder
  20. Superior vesical artery
  21. Longitudinal muscle of ureter extending into pubovesicalis muscle
  22. Superior vesical artery (branch communicating with artery of penis shown in 170-2, label no. 9)
  23. Cervix of bladder
  24. Pubovesicalis muscle
  25. Tendinous arch of pelvic fascia
  26. Puboprostatic ligament
  27. Dorsal vein of the penis
  28. Interpubic disc
  29. Body of pubic bone