The testicular artery (the male gonadal artery, also called the internal spermatic arteries in older texts) is a branch of the abdominal aorta that supplies blood to the

testicle A testicle or testis ( testes) is the gonad in all male bilaterians, including humans, and is Homology (biology), homologous to the ovary in females. Its primary functions are the production of sperm and the secretion of Androgen, androgens, p ...

. It is a paired

artery An artery () is a blood vessel in humans and most other animals that takes oxygenated blood away from the heart in the systemic circulation to one or more parts of the body. Exceptions that carry deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary arteries in ...

, with one for each of the testicles. It is the male equivalent of the

ovarian artery The ovarian artery is an artery that supplies oxygenated blood to the ovary in females. It arises from the abdominal aorta below the renal artery. It can be found within the suspensory ligament of the ovary, anterior to the ovarian vein and urete ...

. Because the testis is found in a different location than that of its female equivalent, it has a different course than the ovarian artery. They are two slender vessels of considerable length, and arise from the front of the

aorta The aorta ( ; : aortas or aortae) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the Ventricle (heart), left ventricle of the heart, branching upwards immediately after, and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits at ...

a little below the renal arteries. Each passes obliquely downward and lateralward behind the

peritoneum The peritoneum is the serous membrane forming the lining of the abdominal cavity or coelom in amniotes and some invertebrates, such as annelids. It covers most of the intra-abdominal (or coelomic) organs, and is composed of a layer of mesotheli ...

, resting on the

psoas major The psoas major ( or ; from ) is a long fusiform muscle located in the lateral lumbar region between the vertebral column and the brim of the lesser pelvis. It joins the iliacus muscle to form the iliopsoas. In other animals, this muscle is e ...

, the right lying in front of the

inferior vena cava The inferior vena cava is a large vein that carries the deoxygenated blood from the lower and middle body into the right atrium of the heart. It is formed by the joining of the right and the left common iliac veins, usually at the level of the ...

and behind the middle colic and ileocolic arteries and the terminal part of the

ileum The ileum () is the final section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear and the terms posterior intestine or distal intestine may ...

, the left behind the

left colic The left colic artery is a branch of the inferior mesenteric artery distributed to the descending colon, and left part of the transverse colon. It ends by dividing into an ascending branch and a descending branch; the terminal branches of the two ...

and sigmoid arteries and the

iliac colon The iliac colon is the portion of the descending colon which is situated within the left iliac fossa (between the crest of the left ilium, and the pelvic brim). It is about 12 to 15 cm long. It curves inferior-ward and medial-ward anterior ...

. Each crosses obliquely over the ureter and the lower part of the external iliac artery to reach the

abdominal inguinal ring The inguinal canal is a passage in the Anatomical terms of location#Anterior and posterior, anterior abdominal wall on each side of the body (one on each side of the Anatomical terms of location#Planes, midline), which in males, convey the spermat ...

, through which it passes, and accompanies the other constituents of the

spermatic cord The spermatic cord is the cord-like structure in males formed by the vas deferens (''ductus deferens'') and surrounding tissue that runs from the deep inguinal ring down to each testicle. Its serosal covering, the tunica vaginalis, is an exten ...

along the

inguinal canal The inguinal canal is a passage in the anterior abdominal wall on each side of the body (one on each side of the midline), which in males, convey the spermatic cords and in females, the round ligament of the uterus. The inguinal canals are lar ...

to the

scrotum In most terrestrial mammals, the scrotum (: scrotums or scrota; possibly from Latin ''scortum'', meaning "hide" or "skin") or scrotal sac is a part of the external male genitalia located at the base of the penis. It consists of a sac of skin ...

, where it becomes tortuous, and divides into several branches. Two or three of these accompany the ductus deferens, and supply the

epididymis The epididymis (; : epididymides or ) is an elongated tubular genital organ attached to the posterior side of each one of the two male reproductive glands, the testicles. It is a single, narrow, tightly coiled tube in adult humans, in length; ...

, anastomosing with the artery of the ductus deferens; others pierce the back part of the tunica albuginea, and supply the substance of the testicle. The internal spermatic artery supplies one or two small branches to the

ureter The ureters are tubes composed of smooth muscle that transport urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. In an adult human, the ureters typically measure 20 to 30 centimeters in length and about 3 to 4 millimeters in diameter. They are lin ...

, and in the inguinal canal gives one or two twigs to the cremaster.

Clinical significance

The testicular artery may be damaged during inguinal hernia repair, possibly resulting in insidious testicular atrophy - but not necessarily accompanied by testicular necrosis due to collateral arterial supply via the inferior epigastric, prostatic, vesical, and scrotal arteries.

Additional images

File:Spermatic vessels.jpg, Spermatic vessels File:Testicular artery (bull).jpg, Testicular artery of a bull (steer). File:Gray585.png, The veins of the right half of the male pelvis. File:Gray590.png, Spermatic veins. File:Gray1120.png, The relations of the viscera and large vessels of the abdomen (posterior view). File:Gray1145.png, Transverse section through the left side of the scrotum and the left testis. File:Testis, spermatic vessels and vas deferens.jpg, Testis, spermatic vessels and vas deferens File:Slide6jj.JPG, Testicular artery and vein

References

External links

* - "Layers of the Spermatic Cord" * () {{Authority control Arteries of the abdomen

Art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

Clinical significance

Additional images

See also

References

External links