Testes & Scrotum
Testes
| Testicular Supply | Structure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Arterial supply | testicular artery | testicular artery is a direct branch of the aorta |
| Lymph drainage | para-aortic lymph nodes | |
| Innervation | spermatic (testicular) plexus | Sensory, parasympathetic & sympathetic fibres pass via T10 (genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve [L1, L2] provides sensory innervation to the tunica vaginalis of the testes) |
- Blood supply is from the testicular artery, a branch of the aorta.
- Lymph from the testes follows the testicular arteries back to the para-aortic lymph nodes.
- The testes and scrotum have different nerve supplies. The testes and epiddidymis are supplied by the spermatic (AKA testicular) plexus.
- The Vas are derived from epididymal canal.
Remember testes and scrotum have different nerve supplies and lymph drainage. The lymph drainage pattern is important in relation to spread of cancer
Scrotum
- Lymph from the scrotum drains to the inguinal lymph nodes
- Innervation of scrotal skin is summarised in the table below:
| Nerve | Part of scrotum innervated | Nerve root origin |
|---|---|---|
| Genital branch of genitofemoral nerve | anterolateral | L1* |
| Anterior scrotal nerves (from ilioinguinal nerve) | anterior | L1 |
| Posterior scrotal nerves (from perineal nerve) | posterior | S2, S3* |
| Perineal branches of posterior femoral cutaneous nerve | inferior | S2, S3* |
*The genitofemoral nerve origin is L1-L2 and the posterior scrotal and posterior femoral cutaneous nerve origin is S2-S4. The college expect you to be aware that the nerve roots innervating the scrotum are L1, S2 and S3.
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Diagram illustrating anatomy of the testes