penile raphe

{{Short description|Line of tissue on the human penis}}

{{Infobox anatomy

| Name = Penile raphe

| Latin = raphe penis

| Image = Raphe_int.JPG

| Caption = The course of the raphe from the scrotum to the tip of the penis

| Image2 =

| Caption2 =

| Precursor = Urogenital folds

| System =

| Part_of = Penis

| Artery =

| Vein =

| Nerve =

| Lymph =

}}

The penile raphe is a visible line or ridge of tissue that runs on the ventral (urethral) side of the human penis beginning from the base of the shaft and ending in the prepuce between the penile frenulum.{{cite book|chapter=Median Genital Raphe Anomalies |title=Congenital Anomalies of the Penis |year=2017 |last1=Fahmy |first1=Mohamed |pages=103–114 |isbn=978-3-319-43309-7 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-43310-3_16|chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313584541|via=ResearchGate}}{{Cite journal |last=Edington |first=G. H. |date=1907 |title=Some Malformations Of The Penis |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20295897 |journal=The British Medical Journal |volume=2 |issue=2438 |pages=725–729 |jstor=20295897 |issn=0007-1447}} The line is typically darker than the rest of the shaft skin, even though its shape and pigmentation may vary greatly among males. The penile raphe is part of a broader line in the male reproductive organs, that runs from the anus through the perineum (perineal raphe) and continues to the scrotum and penis, collectively referred to as median raphe.{{Cite journal |last1=Mohan |first1=Arvind |last2=Ashton |first2=Laura |last3=Dalal |first3=Milind |date=2014 |title=Deviation of the penoscrotal median raphe: Is it a normal finding or within the spectrum of hypospadias? |journal=Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery|volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=92–94 |doi=10.4103/0970-0358.129630 |issn=0970-0358 |pmc=4075225 |pmid=24987211 |doi-access=free }}{{Cite journal |last1=Syed |first1=M. M. Aarif |last2=Amatya |first2=Bibush |last3=Sitaula |first3=Seema |date=2019 |title=Median raphe cyst of the penis: a case report and review of the literature |journal=Journal of Medical Case Reports |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=214 |doi=10.1186/s13256-019-2133-5 |issn=1752-1947 |pmc=6626626 |pmid=31301740 |doi-access=free }} The penile raphe along with the skin between it are homologous to the female labia minora.{{cite book|last1=Hodges|first1=Frederick Mansfield S.|last2=Denniston|first2=George C.|last3=Milos|first3=Marilyn Fayre|publisher=Springer US|year= 2007|title=Male and Female Circumcision: Medical, Legal, and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice|page=10|access-date=November 24, 2023|isbn=978-0-58539-937-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U0EyBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10}}{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Richard J.|last2=Fanaroff|first2=Avory A.|last3=Walsh| first3=Michele C.|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|year=2014|title=Fanaroff and Martin's Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine E-Book: Diseases of the Fetus and Infant|page=1522|access-date=November 24, 2023|isbn=978-0-32329-537-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AnVYBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1522}}

The line consists of a subcutaneous fibrous plate, which may vary in prominence and thickness in various areas of the genitals.{{Cite journal |last1=Jin |first1=Zhe Wu |last2=Jin |first2=Yu |last3=Li |first3=Xiang Wu |last4=Murakami |first4=Gen |last5=Rodríguez-Vázquez |first5=José Francisco |last6=Wilting |first6=Joerg |date=2016 |title=Perineal raphe with special reference to its extension to the anus: a histological study using human fetuses |journal=Anatomy & Cell Biology |volume=49 |issue=2 |pages=116–124 |doi=10.5115/acb.2016.49.2.116 |issn=2093-3665 |pmc=4927426 |pmid=27382513}} In the scrotum, the line is located over the internal scrotal septum that divides the two sides of the sac and is densely occupied by nerve fibers.{{Cite journal |last1=Yucel |first1=S. |last2=Baskin |first2=L. S. |date=2003 |title=The neuroanatomy of the human scrotum: surgical ramifications |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12603421/ |journal=BJU International |volume=91 |issue=4 |pages=393–397 |doi=10.1046/j.1464-410x.2003.04087.x |issn=1464-4096 |pmid=12603421|s2cid=29105511 }} The raphe may become more prominent and darker when the scrotal sac tightens due to contractions. Behind the scrotum, it continues as the perineal raphe. The raphe results as a manifestation of the fusion of the labioscrotal, urogenital and preputial folds during the embryonic development of the male fetus.