The scrotum is the pouch of thin, wrinkled skin and smooth muscle that holds the testes outside the body. A midline ridge, the raphe, marks an internal septum dividing it into two compartments. Its dartos muscle and the cremaster muscle adjust its position to keep the testes cooler than core body temperature.
| Location | Below the root of the penis, between the thighs |
|---|---|
| Parts |
|
| Nerve Supply | Ilioinguinal nerve (anterior scrotal); Genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve; Posterior scrotal nerves (pudendal); Perineal branch of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve |
| Blood Supply | Anterior scrotal arteries (external pudendal); Posterior scrotal arteries (internal pudendal); Cremasteric artery |
| Venous drainage |
|
| Lymphatic drainage |
|
Holds and protects the testes and regulates their temperature by changing its surface area and position.
The scrotal skin drains to the superficial inguinal nodes, while the testes drain to para-aortic nodes, a key point when staging cancers. Scrotal swellings are examined by asking whether one can get above the swelling, whether it is separate from the testis and whether it transilluminates. Fluid easily collects in the loose scrotal tissue with heart failure or after surgery.
A rapidly spreading, life-threatening necrotising infection of the scrotum and perineum needing emergency surgery.
Bleeding into the scrotum after trauma or surgery, causing swelling and bruising.
Dilated veins of the pampiniform plexus felt as a 'bag of worms', usually on the left, sometimes affecting fertility.
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