The suspensory ligament of the clitoris: Connective tissue supports of theerectile tissues of the female urogenital region

We aimed to define the gross anatomy of the supporting structures of the cl itoris. We performed a dissection of the perineum of a series of 22 female and four male cadavers. Specific dissection of the clitoral and penile susp ensory ligament complex was performed in four female and two male cadavers. Serial written observations and photography were used to document the find ings. Our findings were than compared with the anatomical description of th ese structures in the historical and current anatomical literature. The sus pensory ligament of clitoris consistently displayed two components: a super ficial fibro-fatty structure extending from a broad base within the mons pu bis to converge on the body of the clitoris and extending into the labia ma jora; in addition there is a deep component with a narrow origin on the sym physis pubis extending to the body and the bulbs of the clitoris. The suppo rting structures of the clitoris are more substantial and complex than prev iously described. Their shape, extent, and orientation are different from a nalogous structures of the penis, the suspensory ligament of which was foun d as described in the literature. Clin. Anat. 13:397-403, 2000. (C) 2000 Wi ley-Liss. Inc.