AN46.1-5 | Male external genitalia — Glossary

Network of veins in the spermatic cord draining the testis; functions as a countercurrent heat exchanger cooling arterial blood to maintain testicular temperature below body temperature

Dilation of the pampiniform plexus; 95% left-sided due to right-angle drainage of the left testicular vein into the left renal vein; associated with male infertility

Compression of the left renal vein between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta; contributes to left-sided varicocele

Inability to retract the foreskin over the glans; physiological in infants (resolves by 3-5 years) or pathological (fibrosis requiring circumcision)

Retracted foreskin unable to return forward, forming a constrictive ring behind the corona causing venous obstruction and glans oedema; urological emergency

Surgical removal of the prepuce to the level of the corona; performed for medical (phimosis), religious, or cultural reasons

Dense fibrous capsule of the testis; sends inward septa dividing the testis into approximately 250 lobules containing seminiferous tubules

Serous membrane derived from the peritoneum covering the testis; parietal and visceral layers with a potential cavity between them (site of hydrocele)

Accumulation of serous fluid in the cavity of the tunica vaginalis; most common cause of painless scrotal swelling; translucent on transillumination

Twisting of the spermatic cord cutting off blood supply to the testis; 4-6 hour salvage window; absent cremasteric reflex is a key sign

Fibrous cord guiding testicular descent from the posterior abdominal wall through the inguinal canal to the scrotum during fetal development

Peritoneal outpouching accompanying testicular descent; normally obliterates; patent processus causes indirect inguinal hernia or communicating hydrocele

Branch of the abdominal aorta at L2 level (reflecting retroperitoneal origin of the testis); long course explains vulnerability to torsion

Primary lymphatic drainage of the testis at L2 level (not inguinal nodes); important for staging testicular cancer

Stroking the medial thigh causes ipsilateral testicular elevation via the cremaster muscle (genitofemoral nerve L1-L2); absent in testicular torsion

Smooth muscle in the scrotal skin that contracts in cold (wrinkling the scrotum) and relaxes in warmth; temperature regulation for spermatogenesis

Paired erectile tissue of the penis with a tunica albuginea sheath; fills with blood during erection via the deep artery of the penis

Midline erectile tissue surrounding the penile urethra; expands distally as the glans penis; prevents urethral compression during erection

Branch of the pudendal nerve (S2-S4) providing sensory supply to the penis; runs at 10 and 2 o'clock positions; anaesthetised for circumcision

Branch of the internal iliac artery; principal blood supply to the penis via its branches (deep artery, dorsal artery, bulbourethral artery)

Interstitial cells between the seminiferous tubules that produce testosterone under LH stimulation