Intratesticular arterial anatomy

Abstract

The normal course of the testicular artery reveals a superficial position of the major end arteries beneath the tunica albuginea where they may be subject to damage during surgical procedures. The arterial supply of the human testis demonstrates considerable individual variation, unlike most animal species which are morphologically stable. The purpose of this study was to characterize the morphologic variation of the human testicular artery as it courses just beneath the tunica albuginea. The intragonadal course of the main testicular artery branches was plotted in 53 human testes injected with Batson's solution. The areas of the testis most likely to contain a major superficial arterial branch are the medial, anterior, and lateral surfaces of the lower pole. The areas of the testis least likely to contain a major arterial branch are the medial and lateral aspects of the upper pole.