scrotum

(noun)

The bag of skin and muscle that contains the testes in mammals.

Related Terms

Examples of scrotum in the following topics:

  • Scrotum

    • The purpose of the scrotum is to provide the testes with a chamber of appropriate temperature for optimal sperm production.
    • The function of the scrotum appears to be to keep the temperature of the testes slightly lower than that of the rest of the body.
    • This is done by means of contraction and relaxation of the cremaster muscle and the dartos fascia in the scrotum.
    • However, temperature regulation may not be the only function of the scrotum.
    • Image of the external, muscle, and deep tissue views of the scrotum.

  • Anatomy of the Male Reproductive System

    • The male reproductive system includes external (penis, scrotum, epididymus, and testes) and internal (accessory) organs.
    • These external structures are the penis, scrotum, epididymis, and testes.
    • The scrotum is a loose, pouch-like sack of skin that hangs behind the penis, containing the testes.
    • The scrotum has a protective function, including the maintenance of optimal temperatures for sperm survival and function.
    • Special muscles in the wall of the scrotum contract and relax in order to move the testes near the body.

  • Cryptorchidism

    • Cryptorchidism is a condition present at birth in boys where one or more of the testes is absent from the scrotum.
    • Cryptorchidism is the absence of one or both testes from the scrotum.
    • To reduce these risks, undescended testes are usually brought into the scrotum in infancy by a surgical procedure called an orchiopexy.
    • Cryptorchidism occurs when one or both testes do not descend into the scrotum.

  • Testicular Cancer

    • Testicular cancer develops in the testicles, the male reproductive glands located in the scrotum.
    • sharp pain or a dull ache in the lower abdomen or scrotum

  • Vasectomy

    • The entry of the sperm into the scrotum causes sperm granulomas to be formed by the body to contain and absorb the sperm which the body treats as a foreign substance.
    • The traditional incision approach of vasectomy involves numbing of the scrotum with local or general anesthetic after which a scalpel is used to make two small incisions on each side of the scrotum at a location that allows the surgeon to bring each vas deferens to the surface for excision.
    • No-Scalpel vasectomy: A sharp hemostat (as opposed to a scalpel), is used to puncture the scrotum (scrotal sac).
    • Open-Ended vasectomy: The testicular end of the vas deferens is not sealed, allowing continued streaming of sperm into the scrotum.

  • Testes

    • In mammals, the testes are often contained within an extension of the abdomen called the scrotum.
    • Diagram illustrates the scrotum with a portion of the covering removed to display the testis.

  • Male and Female Gonads

    • The testes are located in the scrotum (a sac of skin between the upper thighs).
    • In the male fetus, the testes develop near the kidneys, then descend into the scrotum just before birth.

  • Penis

    • It is located on the ventral aspect of the penis and runs from the meatus and across the scrotum to the perineum (area between scrotum and anus).

  • Sweat (Sudoriferous) Glands

    • The apocrine glands are found in places like the armpits, scrotum, anus, and labia majora. 

  • Embryological and Fetal Events

    • In short, the descent of the testes consists of the opening of a connection from the testis to its final location at the anterior abdominal wall, followed by the development of the gubernaculum, which subsequently pulls and translocates the testis down into the developing scrotum.
    • Furthermore, the labioscrotal folds evolve into the scrotum in males, while they evolve into labia in females.