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Updated: Oct 3, 2026

Point-of-Care Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasound in Adults: Image Acquisition
Published on: June 21, 2024
Pictorial review: ultrasound appearances of the rete testis
1Department of Radiology, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK.
Abstract:
The rete testis is formed in the fifth week of intra-uterine life. The epithelium along the medial side of the mesonephric ridge thickens to form a genital ridge; cellular gonadal cords at the periphery of the ridge unite with a tubular network from the mesonephric mesenchyme forming the testicular rete. On ultrasound, a range of normal appearances of the rete testis is recognised from ill-defined areas of decreased reflectivity to a coarse tubular appearance (often with finger like projections). In the present review the embryological development of the rete testis is briefly outlined. In addition, the important anatomical variations, pertinent to ultrasound imaging, will be presented.
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