Corona of glans penis

Structure

Development

During the embryonic development of the male fetus, a thickening on the epidermis appears around the base of the developing glans. The thickening separates from the glans creating the preputial fold and the preputial lamina on its ventral surface. The lamina expands outwards over the epithelium of the glans and also backwards forming an ingrowing fold at the base of the glans that will become the coronal sulcus.

Vascularization

The corona and the neck are highly vascularized areas of the penis. The axial and dorsal penile arteries merge together at the neck before entering the glans. Branches of the dorsal artery of the penis curve around the distal shaft to enter the frenulum and the glans from its ventral surface. Small venous tributaries deriving from the corona drain the glans forming a venous retro-coronal plexus before merging with the dorsal veins.

Innervation

The circumference and the underside of the corona are densely innervated by several types of nerve terminals, including genital corpuscles and free nerve endings, and are considered by males a highly erogenous zone of their penis. The area is reported to be particularly responsive to stimulation and a source of distinct sexual pleasure.