Altered course of the right testicular artery

An unusual course of the right testicular artery was observed during routine dissection of the posterior abdominal wall of a 60-year-old male cadaver. It arose from the abdominal aorta, inferior and posterior to the origin of the right renal artery, and passed posterior to the inferior vena cava and right renal vein; it then arched anterior to the inferior pole of the right kidney and descended anterior to the psoas major muscle, crossing anterior to the genitofemoral nerve, ureter and the proximal part of the external iliac artery. Finally, it passed to the deep inguinal ring and through the inguinal canal to enter the spermatic cord with the other constituents. The left testicular artery arose from the abdominal aorta about 1 cm higher than the right testicular artery and followed a normal course. The embryologic basis and clinical importance of this case are discussed.