Eur J Anat, 7 (1): 59-62 (2003)

The submediastinal venous plexus of the adult human testis

Pais D., Fontoura P., Pina J.A.E.

Departamento de Anatomia Humana, Faculdade Ciencias Medicas de Lisboa, Campo dos Martires da Patria, 130, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal

ABSTRACT The venous drainage of the human testis consists of two oppositely oriented currents towards and away from the mediastinum testis. These centrifugal and centripetal currents have been known and studied since the nineteenth century. Based on our own observations of 35 human testes prepared by the technique of serial cleared thick sections oriented in three axial body planes, we describe a submediastinal venous plexus, located on the deep surface of the mediastinum, receiving its tributaries from within the parenchyma and giving off collaterals to form the pampiniform plexus. We propose the name coronary submediastinal venous plexus owing to its most characteristic disposition.

Keywords: article, clinical observation, collateral circulation, histopathology, history of medicine, human, human tissue, male, microscopic anatomy, pampiniform venous plexus, submediastinal venous plexus, surface property, testis, tissue section, vein