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Epididymis

• Normal testis and epididymis (ultrasound) - Ganzer Fall bei Radiopaedia

Qureshi, P. Normal testis and epididymis (ultrasound). Case study, Radiopaedia.org. (accessed on 21 Oct 2022) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-67532 • CC by-nc-sa 3.0 (modified)

Scrotal

ultrasonography with a normal head of the epididymis.

Wikipedia • CC BY 3.0

Epididymis

• Testes and spermatic cord (Gray's illustration) - Ganzer Fall bei Radiopaedia

Hacking, C. Testes and spermatic cord (Gray's illustration). Case study, Radiopaedia.org. (accessed on 21 Oct 2022) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-81749 • CC by-nc-sa 3.0 (modified)

Epididymis

• Testes and epididymis (Gray's illustration) - Ganzer Fall bei Radiopaedia

Hacking, C. Testes and epididymis (Gray's illustration). Case study, Radiopaedia.org. (accessed on 21 Oct 2022) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-81750 • CC by-nc-sa 3.0 (modified)

Radiopaedia • CC-by-nc-sa 3.0 • de

The epididymis (plural: epididymides) is situated adjacent to the testis within the scrotal sac. Its primary function is the collection, maturation and transport of sperm via the ductus deferens.

Gross anatomy

The epididymis is an elongated structure, posterolateral to the testis. It can be subdivided into three anatomic regions: head (also known as globus major), body and tail (also known as globus minor).

The total length of the epididymis is usually 6-7 cm but it is tightly coiled and would measure 6 m if uncoiled .

The head is the largest and most prominent part and is found at the superior pole of the testis. The head of the epididymis measures approximately 5-12 mm in length and may have a small projection called the appendix of the epididymis . The tail of the epididymis is found at the inferior pole of the testis .

Seminiferous tubules carry sperm via tubuli recti into a dilated space within the mediastinum testes known as the rete testis. The rete testis drains into the epididymis through 10-15 efferent ductules . Efferent ducts in the head of the epididymis unite to form a single duct in the body and tail region (globus minor), which continues as the ductus deferens.

Arterial supply

The deferential artery (a branch of superior vesical artery) and the testicular artery (a branch off the aorta) supply the inferior and superior portions of the epididymis, respectively.

Some sources state that the epididymis is supplied only by branches of the testicular artery .

Radiographic features

Ultrasound

See article: Testicular and scrotal ultrasound

The normal epididymis is iso-to-hyperechoic to the testes, with equal or less vascularity on color and spectral Doppler. The head of the epididymis is visualized superior and lateral to the testes, while the body and the tail are smaller with variable locations .

MRI

T1: epididymis has homogenously intermediate signal
T2: epididymis has hyperintense signal, with slightly lower signal than testes

History and etymology

"Epididymis" derives from the Greek έπιδιδυμίς (έπί "upon" + δίδυμος "testicle"). Δίδυμοι (meaning "twins") was an older term for both testicles and ovaries. Galen originally used the term to refer to what we now call the tunica, and used the term "parastates" ("standing beside") for what we call the epididymis. Herophilos may have been the first to use it in the current sense.