Urogenital diaphragm

Urogenital diaphragm
Median sagittal section of pelvis, showing arrangement of fasciae. (Urogenital diaphragm labeled at bottom center, and fascia of urogenital diaphragm labeled at center left.)
Coronal section of anterior part of pelvis, through the pubic arch. Seen from in front. (Fascia of urogenital diaphragm labeled at bottom center.)
Gray's	subject #120 428
Nerve	S3
Dorlands/Elsevier	d_15/12293501

The urogenital diaphragm is the traditional (but invalid) anatomical term for a layer of the pelvis that separates the deep perineal sac from the upper pelvis, lying between the inferior fascia of the urogenital diaphragm and superior fascia of the urogenital diaphragm.

Anatomy

While this term is used to refer to a layer of the pelvis that separates the deep perineal sac from the upper pelvis, such a discrete border of the sac probably does not exist. While it has no official entry in Terminologia Anatomica, the term is still used casually to refer to the following structures (taken together) :

• sphincter urethrae muscle (external urethral muscle )
• deep transverse perineal muscle
• superficial transverse perineal muscle
• perineal membrane

The urogenital diaphragm is often confused with the pelvic floor, which is a true diaphragm supporting many of the pelvic organs. --

See also

• Perineum
• Pelvic floor

External links

• SUNY Labs 41:10-0102 - "The Female Perineum: The Perineal Nerve"
• SUNY Figs 43:04-09 - "The urinary bladder and the urethra as seen in a frontal section of the female pelvis."
• SUNY Labs 44:05-0102 - "The Male Pelvis: The Prostate Gland"
• Norman/Georgetown perineum (maleugtriangle3)
• Human anatomy at Dartmouth figures/chapter_35/35-1.HTM
• Kaye K, Milne N, Creed K, van der Werf B (1997). "The 'urogenital diaphragm', external urethral sphincter and radical prostatectomy.". Aust N Z J Surg 67 (1): 40-4. PMID 9033375.