Epididymis in the context of Testis

Urology (from Greek οὖρον ouron "urine" and -λογία -logia "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary system and the male reproductive organs. Organs under the domain of urology include the kidneys, adrenal glands, ureters, urinary bladder, urethra, and the male reproductive organs (testes, epididymides, vasa deferentia, seminal vesicles, prostate, and penis).

The urinary and reproductive tracts are closely linked, and disorders of one often affect the other. Thus a major spectrum of the conditions managed in urology exists under the domain of genitourinary disorders. Urology combines the management of medical (i.e., non-surgical) conditions, such as urinary-tract infections and benign prostatic hyperplasia, with the management of surgical conditions such as bladder or prostate cancer, kidney stones, congenital abnormalities, traumatic injury, and stress incontinence.

A testicle, also called testis (pl. testes) is the male gonad in all gonochoric animals, including humans, and is homologous to the ovary, which is the female gonad. Its primary functions are the production of sperm and the secretion of androgens, primarily testosterone.

The release of testosterone is regulated by luteinizing hormone (LH) from the anterior pituitary gland. Sperm production is controlled by follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) from the anterior pituitary gland and by testosterone produced within the gonads.

The vas deferens (pl.: vasa deferentia), ductus deferens (pl.: ductūs deferentes), or sperm duct is part of the male reproductive system of many vertebrates. In mammals, spermatozoa are produced in the seminiferous tubules and flow into the epididymal duct. The end of the epididymis is connected to the vas deferens. The vas deferens ends with an opening into the ejaculatory duct at a point where the duct of the seminal vesicle also joins the ejaculatory duct.The vas deferens is a partially coiled tube which exits the abdominal cavity through the inguinal canal.

In most terrestrial mammals, the scrotum (pl.: 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 containing the external spermatic fascia, testicles, epididymides, and vasa deferentia. The scrotum will usually tighten when exposed to cold temperatures.

The scrotum is homologous to the labia majora in females.

The tunica vaginalis is a pouch of serous membrane within the scrotum that lines the testis and epididymis (visceral layer of tunica vaginalis), and the inner surface of the scrotum (parietal layer of tunica vaginalis). It is the outermost of the three layers that constitute the capsule of the testis, with the tunica albuginea of testis situated beneath it.

It is the remnant of a pouch of peritoneum which is pulled into the scrotum by the testis as it descends out of the abdominal cavity during foetal development.

The mediastinum testis is a thick yet incomplete septum at the posterior part of the testis formed by the tunica albuginea of testis projecting into the testis at its posterior aspect where the testis is not lined by the serous membrane to allow for the attachment of the epididymis. It extends posteriorly between the testis' superior pole and inferior pole. It is wider superiorly than inferiorly. It supports the rete testis and blood and lymphatic vessels of the testis in their passage into and out of the substance of the gland.

The septa testis - extensions of the tunica albuginea into the substance of the testis that form fibrous partitions - converge towards the mediastinum testis.

The efferent ducts (also efferent ductules, ductuli efferentes, ductus efferentes, or vasa efferentia) connect the rete testis with the initial section of the epididymis.

There are two basic designs for efferent ductule structure:

Orchitis is inflammation of the testicles. It can also involve swelling, pains, and frequent infection, particularly of the epididymis, as in epididymitis. The term is from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις meaning "testicle"; same root as orchid.