chapter 28 lecture 4 is the pathway of sperm flow so sperm is produced in the testes in the seminiferous tubules and just looking at this cross section of testus we see on the very outside we have the tunica vaginalis it's a double layer with a little space in between beneath that layer we have the tunica albuginea and the tunica albigenia has extensions called septi and these separate the testis into lobules each lobule has two to three seminiferous tubules in it and there are thousands of these lobules the seminiferous tubule is going to produce sperm sperm goes into the lumen of the tubule and then it goes from there into this these small extensions called straight tubules from there it goes into this net like mesh called the reta testis it'll leave there and go through the efferent ducts into the epididymis the epididymis remembers this comma-shaped structure on the posterior side of the testis so this is anterior this is posterior the epididymis has a head a body and a tail and sperm stay in here for a bit mature after which they move into the vas deferens during the process of ejaculation vas deferens is also called the ductus deferens following ejaculation it moves up the vas deferens of the spermatic cord and then through a series of and then excuse me through the ejaculatory duct into the urethra so the epididymis comma shaped organ it's on the posterior border the testis they are transported out of the testis through efferent ducts in the epididymis and they empty into the tube called the ductus epididymus it's lined by stereocilia which are just long microvilli and this is where sperm are going to mature and be stored they can be there for about a month after which if they're not expelled they break down and are reabsorbed so you can see how this fits in here on the posterior side of the testis and this is a highly coiled structure and this is showing the cross section of the epididymis epididymis is about an inch and a half long if you would take this and uncoil it and straighten it out it'll be about 20 20 feet long so it's really packed in there um the tail region then continues up as the ductus deferens or the vas deferens there's smooth muscle in the epididymis as i said this is a site where sperm mature so they learn how to swim there their motility increases and then they're propelled into the ductus or vas deferens it's also called the seminal duct when ejaculation occurs sperm are propelled through the vas deferens up through the spermatic cord and the spermatic cord has in addition to the vas deferens it has testicular artery it has testicular veins lymphatic vessels the cremaster muscle that helps to elevate as well as autonomic nerves and here you can see that ductus deferens it goes up it'll come around the posterior side of the urinary bladder and it is going to it has a swelling called the ampulla this is the seminal gland and it is going to diffuse together and form the ejaculatory duct this is the prostate the prostate is going to add some secretions as well as the seminal gland and the bulbo urethral glands these two little p like structures are also going to add some secretions before ejaculation happen before the sperm is ejaculated so this shows the spermatic cord okay it has blood vessels lymphatics nerves in it um the ejaculatory ducts formed by union of the ducts of seminal vesicles and the ducta deferens um and then from there it goes into the urethra the urethra has three parts to it the prostatic urethra the membranous urethra and the spongy urethra so the um vas deferens come up behind the posterior side of the urinary bladder and then wind past the ureters here's the ampulla here's the seminal vesicle which produces secretions they fuse together now we have the ejaculatory duct then we have the prostate and then the bulbourethral or calpers glands are right here and then we have the penis so the ejaculatory duct is about an inch long it adds fluid to the prostatic urethra just before ejaculation the vast difference is about 18 inches long it empties into the prostatic urethra along with secretions from the seminal vesicle have pseudostratified columnar epithelium heavy coating of muscle and it's going to convey sperm through peristalsis remember that's that rhythmic contraction and relaxation that we saw in the digestive system okay so here you can see the path of the vas deferens going up around the pubic symphysis and then behind around the ureter and then fusing with that seminal vesicle the urethra as i said has three parts here's the urinary bladder so we have the prostatic urethra that's the first part and this tiny area here is the membranous urethra and then the penile or spongy urethra goes the length of the penis vasectomy is a process in which in order to stop pregnancy the vas deferens is cut and tied off and the man will continue to make sperm but will not produce um but will not add have sperm in his ejaculate uh he'll still have an ejaculate that's made of the secretions from the the seminal vesicle from the prostate and the bulbourethral gland so they'll still be an ejaculate but it just won't have sperm in it if it's done correctly it's 100 effective and about 40 percent of the time it can be reversed uh the inguinal canal is a tunnel through which the through which a spermatic cord is going to enter down into the scrotal sac it's the hole through which the testes descend and it's a weak spot where um quite often hernias happen an indirect hernia hernia is a rupture or separation a part of the abdominal wall and it results in protrusion of part of an organ in most cases is going to be the intestine small or large through the abdominal wall so uh indirect hernia it's a loop of the intestine going through the deep ring direct it goes through the posterior wall of the inguinal canal