Description: The integument (skin) in the pelvic region
is specialized, in part because of the apertures with mucus membranes
that it accommodates, and because the non-linear dermatomes related to
pelvic nerves. The mons pubis,
the fatpad overlying the pubis and supporting the escutcheon (shield-shaped
pubic hair), is continuous distally with the skin covering the urogenital triangle; this region is
referred to as the vulva. The
labia majora, on which hair grow, are soft, fat-filled, raised folds lying
lateral to the labia minora and the vestibule. The l.majora cover the
curvilinear bulbs of the vestibule, and join superiorly at the anterior
commissure over the clitoris. The l. minora on which hair does not grow,
are smaller, thin folds that meet anteriorly to form the prepuce of the
clitoris, and are the lateral boundary of the flat vestibule into which
the urethra and the vagina
penetrate. The urethral os or the urethral opening into the vestibule,
and the vaginal orifice is at the introitus, bounded by a thin membrane
called the hymen. Minor vestibular glands are present, too. The posterior
fourchette is the short, flat region between the labia minora posteriorly,
perpendicular to the vestibule, that connects it to the skin of the perineum. There, in the anal
triangle, the skin covers the perineal body, usually for about 3-5cm
before reaching the apex of the triangle posteriorly at the coccyx. The
circulation to the vulva and perineum is primarily by the pudendal
a. The mons and clitoris are innervated by the iliohypogastric
and ilioinguinal n., and the remainder of the skin of the vulva is by
the pudendal n. |