Vein: Pampiniform venous plexus
Spermatic veins.
Latin	plexus venosus pampiniformis, plexus pampiniformis
Gray's	subject #258 1240
Drains from	testicle, epididymis
Drains to	testicular vein

The pampiniform plexus is a network of many small veins found in the human male spermatic cord. It is formed by the union of multiple spermatic veins from the back of the testis and tributaries from the epididymis.

The veins of the plexus ascend along the cord in front of the ductus deferens. Below the subcutaneous inguinal ring they unite to form three or four veins, which pass along the inguinal canal, and, entering the abdomen through the abdominal inguinal ring, coalesce to form two veins. These again unite to form a single vein, the testicular vein, which opens on the right side into the inferior vena cava, at an acute angle, and on the left side into the left renal vein, at a right angle.The pampiniform plexus forms the chief mass of the cord.

In addition to its function in venous return from the testes, the pampiniform plexus also plays a role in the temperature regulation of the testes. It acts as a heat exchanger, cooling blood in adjacent arteries. An abnormal enlargement of the pampiniform plexus is a medical condition called varicocele.

[edit] External links

• SUNY Labs 36:st-0701 - "Inguinal Region, Scrotum and Testes: Veins"
• Histology at BU 17304ooa - "Male Reproductive System: spermatic cord, pampiniform plexus"
• Histology at OU 81_05 - "Spermatic cord"
• Cross section at UV pembody/body18b
• inguinalregion at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (spermaticcord)
• Diagram at Rutgers

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.

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