The tunica albuginea is the
fibrous tissue covering of the
testis. It is a dense blue-grey
membrane, composed of bundles of white fibrous
connective tissue
Connective tissue is one of the four primary types of animal tissue, along with epithelial tissue, muscle tissue, and nervous tissue. It develops from the mesenchyme derived from the mesoderm the middle embryonic germ layer. Connective tiss ...
, from which it derives its name ''
albuginea'', which interlace in every direction.
Structure
The tunica albuginea is a layer of
fibrous tissue capsule covering the
testis. It is covered by the
tunica vaginalis, except at the points of attachment of the
epididymis
The epididymis (; plural: epididymides or ) is a tube that connects a testicle to a vas deferens in the male reproductive system. It is a single, narrow, tightly-coiled tube in adult humans, in length. It serves as an interconnection between the ...
to the testis, and along its posterior border, where the
spermatic vessels enter the gland. It is thicker than the
tunica albuginea of the ovary.
The tunica albuginea is applied to the
tunica vasculosa over the glandular substance of the testis, and, at its posterior border, is reflected into the interior of the gland, forming an incomplete vertical septum, called the
mediastinum testis (corpus Highmori).
Additional images
File:Gray1145.png, Transverse section through the left side of the scrotum and the left testis.
File:Gray1114.png, Section of a genital cord of the testis of a human embryo 3.5 cm. long.
File:Gray1149.png, Vertical section of the testis, to show the arrangement of the ducts.
References
External links
* - "Inguinal Region, Scrotum and Testes: The Cross-Section of the Testis"
* ()
Scrotum
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