Assessing Male Genitalia

• The external genitalia consists of the penis and the scrotum
• Glans Penis - The head or tip of the penis that contains the urethral opening.
• Male reproductive organ

  Penis
• The shaft of the penis is composed of three cylindrical masses of vascular erectile tissue that are bound together by fibrous tissue—two corpora cavernosa on the dorsal side and the corpus spongiosum on the ventral side.
• If the man has not been circumcised, a hoodlike fold of skin called the foreskin or prepuce covers the glans.
• In the center of the corpus spongiosum is the urethra, which travels through the shaft and opens as a slit at the tip of the glans as the urethral meatus.
• The penis has a role in both reproduction and urination.
• The scrotum is a thin-walled sac that is suspended below the pubic bone, posterior to the penis.
• The scrotum functions as a protective covering for the testes, epididymis, and vas deferens and helps to maintain the cooler-than-body temperature necessary for production of sperm (less than 37°C)
• The scrotum can maintain temperature control because the cremaster muscle is sensitive to changes in temperature
• Each testicle contains many coiled tubules where spermatogenesis occurs.
• the scrotal sac is divided into two portions by a septum, each portion containing one testis
• Each testis is covered by a serous membrane called the tunica vaginalis, which separates the testis from the scrotal wall
• The tunica vaginalis is double layered and lubricated to protect the testes from injury.
• The function of the testes is to produce spermatozoa and the male sex hormone testosterone.
• The testes are suspended in the scrotum by a spermatic cord.
• The spermatic cord on the left side is usually longer; thus, this testis hangs lower than the other testis.
• is a comma-shaped, coiled, tubular structure that curves up over the upper and posterior surface of the testis. It is where that the spermatozoa mature.

  epididymis
• a firm, muscular tube that is continuous with the lower portion of the epididymis

  vas deferens
• provides the passage for transporting sperm from the testes to the urethra for ejaculation.

  vas deferens
• External and internal male genitalia.

  1. Bladder
  2. Prostate
  3. Urethra
  4. Corpora cavernosa
  5. Corpora spongiosum
  6. glans penis
  7. foreskin
  8. urethral meatus
  9. cavity of tunica vaginalis
  10. scrotum
  11. testis
  12. epididymis
  13. vas deferens
  14. blood vessel
  15. spermatic cord

  
• When assessing the male genitalia, the nurse needs to be familiar with structures of the inguinal or groin area because hernias (protrusion of loops of bowel through weak areas of the musculature) are common in this location
• The inguinal canal is a tubelike structure (4–5 cm or 1.5–2 in. long in an adult) through which the vas deferens travels as it passes through the lower abdomen.
• The anal canal is the final segment of the digestive system
• The external sphincter is composed of skeletal muscle and is under voluntary control. The internal sphincter is composed of smooth muscle and is under involuntary control by the autonomic nervous system.
• Dividing the two sphincters is the palpable intersphincteric groove.
• Just above the internal sphincter is the anorectal junction, the dividing point of the anal canal and the rectum
• The rectum is lined with folds of mucosa, known as the columns of Morgagni
• The rectum is the lowest portion of the large intestine and is approximately 12 cm long, extending from the end of the sigmoid colon to the anorectal junction
• The inside of the rectum contains three inward foldings called the valves of Houston.
• The peritoneum lines the upper two thirds of the anterior rectum and dips down enough so that it may be palpated where it forms the rectovesical pouch in men and the rectouterine pouch in women.
• The prostate gland is approximately 2.5 to 4 cm in diameter, surrounding the neck of the bladder and urethra; it lies between these structures and the rectum in male clients.
• Prostatic hyperplasia, enlargement of the prostate gland, has become increasingly common in men over age 40.
• The Cowper (or bulbourethral) glands are mucus-producing, pea-sized organs located posterior to the prostate gland.
• Perineal itching is seen with crab lice (pediculosis pubis)
• Blood in the urine (hematuria) should be referred for medical investigation because this may indicate infection, kidney stones, benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), or cancer
• Lice or nit (eggs) infestation at the base of the penis or pubic hair is known as pediculosis pubis.
• Tenderness may indicate inflammation or infection.
• A tight foreskin that cannot be retracted is called phimosis
• A foreskin that, once retracted, cannot be returned to cover the glans is called paraphimosis