Appendix testis
Encyclopedia
The appendix testis is a vestigial remnant of the Müllerian duct
, present on the upper pole of the testis and attached to the tunica vaginalis
. It is present about 90% of the time.
(i.e. become twisted), causing acute one-sided testicular pain and may require surgical excision to achieve relief.
1/3 of patients present with a palpable "blue dot" discoloration on the scrotum. This is nearly diagnostic of this condition. Although if clinical suspicion is high for testicular torsion, a surgical exploration of the scrotum is warranted.
Occasionally a torsion of the hydatid of Morgagni can produce symptoms mimicking those created by a testicular torsion
; a torsion of the hydatid, however, does not lead to any impairment of testicular function.
Müllerian duct
Müllerian ducts are paired ducts of the embryo that run down the lateral sides of the urogenital ridge and terminate at the Müllerian eminence in the primitive urogenital sinus. In the female, they will develop to form the Fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, and the upper two-third of the vagina; in...
, present on the upper pole of the testis and attached to the tunica vaginalis
Tunica vaginalis
The tunica vaginalis is the serous covering of the testis.It is a pouch of serous membrane, derived from the processus vaginalis of the peritoneum, which in the fetus preceded the descent of the testis from the abdomen into the scrotum....
. It is present about 90% of the time.
Clinical significance
Although it has no physiological function, it can be medically significant in that it can, rarely, undergo torsionTesticular torsion
Testicular torsion is when the spermatic cord to a testicle twists, cutting off the blood supply. The most common symptom is acute testicular pain and the most common underlying cause is a congenital malformation known as a "bell-clapper deformity". The diagnosis is often made clinically but if it...
(i.e. become twisted), causing acute one-sided testicular pain and may require surgical excision to achieve relief.
1/3 of patients present with a palpable "blue dot" discoloration on the scrotum. This is nearly diagnostic of this condition. Although if clinical suspicion is high for testicular torsion, a surgical exploration of the scrotum is warranted.
Occasionally a torsion of the hydatid of Morgagni can produce symptoms mimicking those created by a testicular torsion
Testicular torsion
Testicular torsion is when the spermatic cord to a testicle twists, cutting off the blood supply. The most common symptom is acute testicular pain and the most common underlying cause is a congenital malformation known as a "bell-clapper deformity". The diagnosis is often made clinically but if it...
; a torsion of the hydatid, however, does not lead to any impairment of testicular function.