The document discusses the male internal reproductive organs. It describes the epididymis as a highly coiled tube that acts as a reservoir for spermatozoa. The ductus deferens or vas deferens transports spermatozoa from the epididymis to the ejaculatory duct. Other internal organs discussed include the seminal vesicles, which secrete fluid forming semen, the bulbourethral glands which secrete a lubricating fluid, and the prostate gland, which produces secretions that add bulk to seminal fluid. The document provides details on the structure, function and histology of these male internal reproductive organs.

1. • HUMAN ANATOMY
• Male Internal Reproductive Organs
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2. Introduction
• Male reproductive organs include external and internal
genitalia
• External genitalia are penis and scrotum and its contents
(check handout for external genitalia)
• Internal genitalia:
- Epididymis or Ductus Epididymis
- Ductus deferens or vas deferens
- Ejaculatory ducts
- Male urethra
- Accessory glands:
Seminal vesicles
Prostate gland
Bulbourethral glands (glands of Cowper)
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4. Epididymis
• Is an organ made up of highly coiled tube that act as
reservoir of spermatozoa
• Parts:
- Upper end called head: enlarged and is connected to
the upper pole of testis by efferent ductules
- Middle part is called the body
- Lower part is called the tail
• Head is made of highly coiled efferent ductules
• Body and tail is made up of a single duct called duct of
the epididymis which is highly coiled on itself
• At the lower end of the tail the duct becomes
continuous with the ductus deferens
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6. Histology of the ductus epididymis
• Is lined with pseudostratified columnar epithelium
composed of rounded basal cells and columnar cells
• These cells are supported on a basal lamina
surrounded by smooth muscle cells, whose
peristaltic contractions help to move the sperm
along the duct, and by loose connective tissue rich in
blood capillaries
• Their surface is covered by long, branched, irregular
microvilli called stereocilia
• The epithelium of the ductus epididymis participates
in the uptake and digestion of residual bodies that
are eliminated during spermatogenesis
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9. Ductus deferens
• Is a thick-walled, muscular tube which transmits
spermatozoa from the epididymis to the ejaculatory
duct
• Feels cord-like and has a narrow lumen except at
the terminal dilated end called the ampulla
• Is about 45cm long when straightened
• In its course, the vas lies successively:
1. Within the scrotum along the posterior border of
the testis
2. In the inguinal canal as part of the spermatic cord
3. In greater pelvis
4. Lesser pelvis
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10. Histology of Ductus Deferens
• Is characterized by
a narrow lumen
and a mucosa with
longitudinal folds,
covered along
most of its extent
by
pseudostratified
columnar
epithelium with
stereocilia
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11. • The lamina propria is rich in elastic fibers, and
the thick muscular layer consists of
longitudinal inner and outer layers separated
by a circular layer
• The abundant smooth muscle produces strong
peristaltic contractions that participate in the
expulsion of the spermatozoa during
ejaculation
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12. Seminal vesicles
• Are 2 lobulated sacs, situated between urinary
bladder and rectum
• Each is about 5cm long
• The lower narrow end forms the duct of the
seminal vesicle which joins the ductus deferens
to form the ejaculatory duct
• Seminal vesicle is not a reservoir of spermatozoa
• Their secretion forms a large part of seminal fluid
(semen)
• The secretion is slightly alkaline and contains
fructose and a coagulating enzyme (vesiculase)
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13. Histology of the Seminal Vesicles
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14. Bulbourethral glands
• Also called bulbourethral glands (Cowper's glands)
• Are analogous to the Bartholin’s glands in the
female
• Are about 3-5 mm in diameter
• Are proximal to the membranous portion of the
urethra and empty into it
• They are tubuloalveolar glands lined with mucus-
secreting simple cuboidal epithelium
• Skeletal and smooth muscle cells are present in the
septa that divide each gland into lobes
• The secreted mucus is clear and acts as a lubricant
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15. Prostate gland
• Is a lobulated accessory gland
• Has 5 lobes: anterior, posterior, median or middle
and right and left lateral
• Prostatic carcinoma arises from the posterior lobe
• Produces secretions which add bulk to the seminal
fluid together with those of the seminal vesicles and
bulbourethral glands
• Is firm in consistency
• Its firmness is due to the presence of a dense
fibromuscular stroma in which the glandular
elements are embedded
• In the female, the prostate are represented by the
paraurethral glands of Skene
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16. • Situation: lesser pelvis, below the neck of the
urinary bladder, behind the lower part of the
pubic symphysis and the upper part of the
pubic arch, and in front of the ampulla of the
rectum
• Shape, size and weight: resembles an inverted
cone, measuring about 4cm transversely at
the base and is about 8g
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17. • Blood supply: Inferior Vesical, Middle Rectal,
Internal Pudendal arteries
• Veins: drain into the Internal Iliac Vein.
Remember the Batson’s Plexus of veins for
spread of prostate cancer to vertebral column
and the skull
• Lymphatic drainage: Internal Iliac, Sacral and
External Iliac nodes
• Nerve supply: Inferior Hypogastric Plexus
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18. Histology of the Prostate
• The prostate is a collection of 30-50 branched
tubuloalveolar glands
• Their ducts empty into the prostatic urethra,
which crosses the prostate
• McNeal’s description (1972): 4 zones
1. PERIPHERAL ZONE (70%) - Site of origin of 60-
70% of all carcinomas of the prostate. This
zone doesn’t reach the base of the gland
2. CENTRAL ZONE- site of Benign Prostatic
Hyperplasia (BPH)
3. TRANSITIONAL ZONE- site of BPH as well.
4. PERIURETHRAL ZONE
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20. • The tubuloalveolar glands of the prostate are
formed by a cuboidal or a columnar
pseudostratified epithelium
• An exceptionally rich fibromuscular stroma
surrounds the glands
• The prostate is surrounded by a fibroelastic
capsule rich in smooth muscle
• Septa from this capsule penetrate the gland and
divide it into lobes that are indistinct in adult
men
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21. • Small spherical bodies of glycoproteins, 0.2-2
mm in diameter and often calcified, are
frequently observed in the lumen of prostatic
glands
• They are called prostatic concretions, or corpora
amylacea
• Their significance is not understood, but their
number increases with age
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22. Clinical Anatomy of the Prostate
Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)
- Is present in 50% of men more than 50 years of
age and in 95% of men more than 70 years of age
- It leads to obstruction of the urethra with clinical
symptoms in only 5-10% of cases
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23. Classification of Prostatism
OBSTRUCTIVE (VOIDING)
1. Hesitancy
2. Poor or intermittent stream
3. Straining
4. Terminal dribbling
5. Post-micturition dribbling
STORAGE (IRRITATIVE)
1. Frequency
2. Urgency
3. Urgency incontinence
4. Nocturnal frequency
5. Nocturnal enuresis
6. Haematuria
7. Dysuria
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24. Malignant prostatic tumor
- Is the second most common form of cancer in
men and the third leading cause of cancer
deaths
- One of the products of the prostate, the
prostate-specific antigen (PSA), is secreted into
the blood
- Normal PSA < 4ng/ml
- Because its concentration in the serum often
increases during malignancy, it is useful for
diagnosis and control of treatment of the tumor
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25. Vertebral system of veins
• Also called Batson’s plexus of veins
• Assumes importance in spread of:
- Carcinoma of the prostate causing secondaries
in the vertebral column and skull
- Chronic empyema causing brain abscess by
septic emboli
• Is a valveless, complicated network of veins with
a longitudinal pattern
• Runs parallel to and anastomoses with the
superior and inferior venae cavae
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26. Primary sites causing secondaries in vertebrae:
1. Thyroid
2. Breast
3. Lung
4. Kidneys (renal cell carcinoma)
5. Prostate
NB: ALL THE ABOVE GIVE OSTEOLYTIC LESIONS EXCEPT
PROSTATE WHICH GIVES OSTEOSCLEROTIC LESIONS
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27. The End!
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