External links
- Images Archived 2011-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
 | This developmental biology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| Gubernaculum testis | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Precursor | Gubernaculum |
| Gives rise to | Scrotal ligament |
| Anatomical terminology | |
In the inguinal crest of a peculiar structure, the gubernaculum testis makes its appearance. This is at first a slender band, extending from that part of the skin of the groin which afterward forms the scrotum through the inguinal canal to the body and epididymis of the testis. The gubernaculum testis is homologous to the round ligament of the uterus in females.
| | This developmental biology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Cryptorchidism, also known as undescended testis, is the failure of one or both testes to descend into the scrotum. The word is from Greek κρυπτός 'hidden' and ὄρχις 'testicle'. It is the most common birth defect of the male genital tract. About 3% of full-term and 30% of premature infant boys are born with at least one undescended testis. However, about 80% of cryptorchid testes descend by the first year of life, making the true incidence of cryptorchidism around 1% overall. Cryptorchidism may develop after infancy, sometimes as late as young adulthood, but that is exceptional.
The cremaster muscle is a paired structure made of thin layers of striated and smooth muscle that covers the testicles and the spermatic cord in human males. It consists of the lateral and medial parts. Cremaster is an involuntary muscle, responsible for the cremasteric reflex; a protective and physiologic superficial reflex of the testicles. The reflex raises and lowers the testicles in order to keep them protected. Along with the dartos muscle of the scrotum, it regulates testicular temperature, thus aiding the process of spermatogenesis.
Orchiopexy is a surgery to move and/or permanently fix a testicle into the scrotum. While orchiopexy typically describes the operation to surgically correct an undescended testicle, it is also used to resolve testicular torsion.
A hydrocele is an accumulation of serous fluid in a body cavity. A hydrocele testis, the most common form of hydrocele, is the accumulation of fluids around a testicle. It is often caused by fluid collecting within a layer wrapped around the testicle, called the tunica vaginalis, which is derived from peritoneum. Provided there is no hernia present, it goes away without treatment in the first year. Although hydroceles usually develop in males, rare instances have been described in females in the canal of Nuck.
The paired gubernacula also called the caudal genital ligament, are embryonic structures which begin as undifferentiated mesenchyme attaching to the caudal end of the gonads.
The male reproductive system consists of a number of sex organs that play a role in the process of human reproduction. These organs are located on the outside of the body and within the pelvis.
The round ligament of the uterus is a ligament that connects the uterus to the labia majora. It originates at the junction of the uterus and uterine tube. It passes through the inguinal canal to insert at the labium majus.
The canal of Nuck, first described by Anton Nuck in 1691, is an abnormal patent (open) pouch of peritoneum extending into the labia majora of women. It is analogous to a patent processus vaginalis in males. In rare cases, it may give rise to a cyst or a hydrocele in women and has potential to develop into an indirect inguinal hernia. The pouch accompanies the gubernaculum during development of the urinary and reproductive organs, more specifically during the descent of the ovaries, and normally obliterates.
The tunica vaginalis is a pouch of serous membrane within the scrotum that lines the testis and epididymis, and the inner surface of the scrotum. It is the outermost of the three layers that constitute the capsule of the testis, with the tunica albuginea of penis situated beneath it.
The testicular artery is a branch of the abdominal aorta that supplies blood to the testis. It is a paired artery, with one for each of the testes.
The testicular vein, the male gonadal vein, carries deoxygenated blood from its corresponding testis to the inferior vena cava or one of its tributaries. It is the male equivalent of the ovarian vein, and is the venous counterpart of the testicular artery.
The intercrural fibers are a series of curved tendinous fibers, which arch across the lower part of the aponeurosis of the Obliquus externus, describing curves with the convexities downward.
The mediastinum testis is a thick yet incomplete septum at the posterior part of the testis formed by the tunica albuginea of testis projecting into the testis at its posterior aspect where the testis is not lined by the serous membrane to allow for the attachment of the epididymis. It extends posteriorly between the testis' superior pole and inferior pole. It is wider superiorly than inferiorly. It supports the rete testis and blood and lymphatic vessels of the testis in their passage into and out of the substance of the gland.
The lobules of testis are of partitions of the testis formed by septa of testis. The lobules of testis contain the tightly coiled seminiferous tubule. There are some hundreds of lobules in a testicle.
The septa testis are fibrous partitions of the testis dividing the testis into compartments - the lobules of the testis. The septa are formed by extensions of the tunica albuginea - the dense fibrous connective tissue surface covering of the testis - into the substance of the testis. The septa converge towards the mediastinum testis.
The development of the reproductive system is the part of embryonic growth that results in the sex organs and contributes to sexual differentiation. Due to its large overlap with development of the urinary system, the two systems are typically described together as the urogenital or genitourinary system.
The development of the gonads is part of the prenatal development of the reproductive system and ultimately forms the testes in males and the ovaries in females. The gonads initially develop from the mesothelial layer of the peritoneum.
The scrotum or scrotal sac is an anatomical male reproductive structure located at the base of the penis that consists of a suspended dual-chambered sac of skin and smooth muscle. It is present in most terrestrial male mammals. The scrotum contains the external spermatic fascia, testes, epididymis, and ductus deferens. It is a distention of the perineum and carries some abdominal tissues into its cavity including the testicular artery, testicular vein, and pampiniform plexus. The perineal raphe is a small, vertical, slightly raised ridge of scrotal skin under which is found the scrotal septum. It appears as a thin longitudinal line that runs front to back over the entire scrotum. In humans and some other mammals the scrotum becomes covered with pubic hair at puberty. The scrotum will usually tighten during penile erection and when exposed to cold temperatures. One testis is typically lower than the other to avoid compression in the event of an impact.
Orchiectomy is a surgical procedure in which one or both testicles are removed. The surgery is performed as treatment for testicular cancer, as part of surgery for transgender women, as management for advanced prostate cancer, and to remove damaged testes after testicular torsion. Less frequently, orchiectomy may be performed following a trauma, or due to wasting away of one or more testicles.
Scrotalultrasound is a medical ultrasound examination of the scrotum. It is used in the evaluation of testicular pain, and can help identify solid masses.