Abstract
There are a limited number of comprehensive studies in the literature investigating the histologic characteristics of the human prepuce, but interest to evaluate the histology and innervation of the prepuce had been reported since 1801, when probably the first reference to innervation of the prepuce is investigated by Bichat. Such studies are paramount for the proper reconstruction of the preputial grafts and flaps; which used for different penile surgeries, and elsewhere in the body and for understanding the proper extension of different benign and malignant pathologies.
The prepuce is a pentalaminar structure composed of a squamous mucosal epithelium, lamina propria (corion), dartos muscle, dermis, and outer glabrous skin.
The mucosa of the inner prepuce is lined by stratified squamous epithelium, similar to the frictional mucosa of the vagina, the inner eyelid, the mouth, and the oesophagus, the mucosal aspect of the prepuce has a great capacity for self-repair. The neural and vascular networks of the preputial mucosa rise higher in the dermis, thereby favouring more acute sensation.
The subepithelial connective tissue is very loose and vascularized and, therefore, tends to become rapidly edematous in inflammatory conditions.
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Fahmy, M.A.B. (2020). Histology of the Prepuce. In: Normal and Abnormal Prepuce. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37621-5_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37621-5_6
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