ABSTRACT
The urogenital triangle is divided by the inferior layer of the urogenital diaphragm – the perineal membrane – into superior and inferior compartments (pouches). The urogenital diaphragm is a triangular double layer of fascia (stronger in the male than in the female) that stretches across the pubic arch between the ischiopubic rami. Its free posterior border is attached to a central subcutaneous fibrous mass, the perineal body. The diaphragm is pierced by the urethra and, in the female, the vagina. Its inferior fascial layer, the perineal membrane, gives attachment to the bulb and crura of the penis or clitoris. Its superior (deep) layer is continuous with the pelvic fascia where the viscera pass through between the two levatores ani. The deep layer fuses posteriorly with the posterior border of the perineal membrane to make a fascial bound envelope, the deep perineal pouch (Fig. 9.13, p. 133). The superficial and deep perineal pouches differ markedly in males and females.
