Saitoh K, Terada T, Hatakeyama S
Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan.
Int J Androl. 1990 Oct;13(5):369-76. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2605.1990.tb01045.x.
Efferent ducts of the human epididymis were studied with a light microscope and a computerized three-dimensional image analyser by preparing complete serial sections. The efferent ducts were characterized by a columnar epithelium, which differed both from the cuboidal epithelium of the rete testis and from the tall columnar epithelium of the epididymal duct. Therefore, the junctions of the efferent ducts with the rete testis and epididymal duct could be identified morphologically. Five or six efferent ducts originated from the dilated extra-testicular rete testis, ran in an extremely tortuous manner and transformed into the epididymal ducts in an end-to-end pattern near the border of the epididymal head and corpus. Computerized image analysis confirmed light microscopical findings and demonstrated three-dimensional structures of the junctions of the efferent ducts with both the rete testis and the epididymal ducts.
通过制备完整的连续切片，利用光学显微镜和计算机三维图像分析仪对人类附睾输出小管进行了研究。输出小管的特征为柱状上皮，这既不同于睾丸网的立方上皮，也不同于附睾管的高柱状上皮。因此，输出小管与睾丸网和附睾管的连接处可以通过形态学进行识别。五或六条输出小管起源于扩张的睾丸外睾丸网，以极其曲折的方式走行，并在附睾头和体的边界附近以端对端的方式转变为附睾管。计算机图像分析证实了光学显微镜的观察结果，并展示了输出小管与睾丸网和附睾管连接处的三维结构。
