Spermatic cord

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The spermatic cord ( Latin Funiculus spermaticus ) is a bundle of conduction structures for the testes , which is formed in mammals that show a testicle descent into the scrotum . It extends from the inner inguinal ring ( annulus inguinalis profundus ) to the testicle head. It is surrounded by a tunica serosa , which is attached to the outside of connective tissue ( fascia spermatica interna ). Similar to abdominal organs, the serosa forms a short mesentery ( mesofuniculus spermaticus ).

anatomy

Opened right inguinal canal ( Canalis inguinalis ) on the inner inguinal ring ( Anulus inguinalis profundus ) in men with spermatic cord, spermatic duct ( vas deferens ) and right testicular vein ( Vena testicularis dextra ). The testicular artery ( arteria testicularis dexter ), the testicular elevator ( Musculus cremaster ) and the nerve fibers are not shown for better clarity.

Run in the spermatic cord:

The testicular lifter muscle ( cremaster muscle ) attaches to the spermatic cord . In addition, running with the spermatic cord to the genital branch of the vagus genitofemoralis , the nerve ilioinguinalis , the artery and vein cremasteric and lymphatic vessels of the superficial inguinal lymph nodes ( Lnn. Scrotales ).

The sheaths of the spermatic cord are descendants of the fasciae and muscles of the abdominal wall. The layers from the outside in are:

  • Scrotal skin with tunica dartos.
  • Fascia spermatica externa, corresponds to the Fascia abdominalis superficialis .
  • Fascia cremasterica, develops from the musculus obliquus internus abdominis and contains the muscle cremaster , the arteria and vena cremasterica and the genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve .
  • Fascia spermatica interna, corresponds to the fascia transversalis and contains the spermatic duct and its accompanying vessels, the venae testiculares , the arteria testicularis and the vegetative plexus testicularis .

Tendrils and braid

Both the testicular artery and vein form a tangle above the testicle and are closely intertwined. The tangling of the artery is called tendril convolute , that of the vein is called tendril weave ( Plexus pampiniformis , from Latin pampinus = the fresh shoot of the vine, the vine tendril ). In domestic cattle , for example, a section of the spermatic cord approximately 13 cm long has a 2 m long section of artery. This creates a very large contact area between the vein and the artery.

Convoluted tendrils and braids act as heat exchangers based on the countercurrent principle . The incoming arterial blood is cooled by the venous blood coming from the testes, the venous blood is warmed up again. This plays an important role in thermoregulation in the scrotum , because spermatogenesis can only produce fertilizable sperm at a few degrees below the body's internal temperature .

Bloodless sterilization

In animals with bag-shaped scrotums ( ruminants ), the spermatic cord can be squeezed through the wall of the scrotum, thereby relocating the blood vessels and the vas deferens. The testicle is thus cut off from its blood supply and dies, the animals are therefore no longer capable of fertilization ( sterilization ). Occasionally this is also referred to as “ bloodless castration ”, but this is not exact, because castration is the removal of the testicles .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Keith Lean Moore, Arthur F. Dalley: Clinically Oriented Anatomy. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia 2006, ISBN 978-0-7817-3639-8 , p. 220.
  2. ↑ pampinus . (Karl Ernst Georges, Heinrich Georges: Detailed Latin-German concise dictionary. Vol. 2: I - Z. Hahn, Hannover / Leipzig 1918) On: zeno.org last accessed on June 4, 2014.