Bulbourethral glands Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Bulbourethral glands Deck (16)
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1
Q

what are the bulbourethral glands also known as?

A

Cowper’s glands

2
Q

what are the bulbourethral glands?

A

a pair of pea shaped exocrine glands located posterolateral to the membranous urethra

3
Q

what do the bulbourethral glands contribute to?

A

to the final volume of semen by producing a lubricating mucus secretion

4
Q

where can the bulbourethral glands be found within?

A

enclosed within the fibres of the external urethral sphincter

5
Q

where are the bulbourethral glands situated?

A

posterolateral to the membranous urethra and superior to the bulb of the penis

6
Q

where do the ducts of the bulbourethral glands penetrate?

A

The ducts of the gland penetrate the perineal membrane alongside the membranous urethra

7
Q

where do the ducts of the bulbourethral glands open into?

A

the proximal portion of the spongy urethra

8
Q

how can the bulbourethral glands be described as? (histology)

A

compound tubulo-alveolar glands lined by columnar epithelium

9
Q

where are the bulbourethral glands derived from embryologically?

A

urogenital sinus, along with the bladder, prostate and urethra

10
Q

function of the bulbourethral glands?

A

produce a mucus secretion which serves as lubrication during sexual arousal in males

11
Q

what are the secretions of the bulbourethral glands like?

A

alkaline in nature and may help to neutralise residual acidity in the male urethra

12
Q

what is a theory for explaining the failure of common contraceptive techniques such as the withdrawal method?

A

It has been theorised that secretion from bulbourethral glands can sometimes carry sperm into the female reproductive tract prior to ejaculation

13
Q

blood supply to bulbourethral glands?

A

the arteries to the bulb of the penis

14
Q

innervation of bulbourethral glands?

A

receive autonomic (involuntary) innervation derived from the prostatic plexus

15
Q

how do you remember when it is sympathetic and when it is parasympathetic innervation to the bulbourethral glands?

A

Point and Shoot!
The bulbourethral glands contract during ejaculation (shooting). This is therefore a sympathetic function, as opposed to the parasympathetic control of erection (pointing)
(sympathetic - ejaculation (shoot))
(parasympathetic - erection (point))

16
Q

lymphatic drainage of bulbourethral glands

A

Like the seminal vesicles the bulbourethral glands drain into the internal and external iliac lymph nodes