CRANIAL ATTACHMENT OF THE GUBERNACULUM ASSOCIATED WITH UNDESCENDED TESTES

Elongated epididymis is an abnormality encountered most frequently in patients who have an undescended testis (or testes). To clarify the im plication of this anomaly in testicular descent, the anatomic configur ation of paratesticular structures, especially the site of cranial att achment of the gubernaculum in relation to the configuration of the va s deferens, was evaluated in 54 undescended testes of 44 patients. Und escended testes were associated with an elongated epididymis in 42.5% of cases. Of these, the cranial gubernaculum was attached solely to th e vas deferens in 73.9%. In this group, the cranial gubernaculum was a ttached to the most descended part of the loop of the vas deferens. No patient with a nonelongated epididymis had a gubernaculum attached so lely to the vas deferens. These results suggest that the abnormal atta chment of the cranial gubernaculum in the embryological stage might af fect the mode of descent of adjacent paratesticular structures. (C) 19 96 by W.B. Saunders Company