Genitofemoral nerve and undescended testis

Han, Sang Won; Choi, Seung Kang

Abstract

The gubernaculum testis, which has an important role to play in transinguinal testicular descent, is richly by the genitofemoral nerve through its scrotal attachment. In neonatal rats the genitofemoral nerve overlying the psoas muscle was divided before transinguinal descent would normally occur, and the effect of this procedure on subsequent testicular descent was observed and compared with the effect of division of psoas muscle and gubernaculectomy. Selective division of the genitofemoral nerve could not cause undescended testis and testicular atrophy which was caused by the division of the psoas muscle or gubernaculectomy. However denervation of the gubernaculum shortened the length of the spermatic cord and vas deference. This effect tended to be obvious in group or earlier neonatal denervation. The significance of this finding in the rat is that an intact genitofemoral nerve is an essential prerequisite for normal transinguinal descent perhaps by allowing the gubernaculum to evert and to differentiate.