Cite this page: Al-Hussain T. Excurrent duct obstruction. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/testisexcurrentduct.html. Accessed January 20th, 2021.
Definition / general
- Excurrent means distal to rete testis
- Congenital or acquired
- Occurs in 10% of biopsies for infertility
- Associated with azoospermia, normal sized testes and active (but not necessarily normal) spermatogenesis (Am J Surg Pathol 1999;23:1546)
- Congenital: agenesis or atresia of epididymis or vas deferens, atrophy from secretions in cystic fibrosis
- Acquired: infection, sterilization, inadvertent surgical ligation of vas deferens
- Partial excurrent duct obstruction is likely if sperm count is appreciably lower than that expected from biopsy
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Active spermatogenesis, germ cell disorganization and sloughing
- Variable interstitial fibrosis and sperm granulomas
- No tubular basement membrane thickening