On the Morphology of the Transitional Zones from the Rete Testis into the Ductuli Efferentes and from the Ductuli Efferentes into the Ductus Epididymidis. Investigations on the Human Testis and Epididymis

Transitions from the rete testis into the ductuli efferentes and from the ductuli efferentes into the ductus epididymidis were examined in the epididymes of 4 patients with prostatic cancer aged 65, 72, 77 and 78 years, in the epididymis of a 19 year-old accident victim and in the epididymis of an embryo of the 12th week. Concerning the former area, the results published up to now were confirmed. But according to our examinations, the transition from the ductuli efferentes into the ductus epididymidis is different from what has been described in the literature so far. In the adult human, the ductuli efferentes do not show end-to-side connections with the ductus epididymidis, but end-to-end junctions with "extensions" of the ductus epididymidis which finally join the ductus epididymidis end-to-side. However, in the epididymis of the embryo, one still finds end-to-side connections of ductuli efferentes and the ductus epididymidis. It was concluded that the extensions of the ductus epididymidis are formed during the development of the system of canaliculi in the epididymis from the embryonal stage to adult age.