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Updated: Oct 12, 2026

Germ Cell Transplantation and Testis Tissue Xenografting in Mice
Published on: February 6, 2012
Ectopic seminiferous tubules in the tunica albuginea of normal and dysgenetic testes
Abstract:
The histological study of testes obtained from 453 autopsies and 245 biopsies revealed seminiferous tubules in the testicular tunica albuginea of 9 children. Affectation was always unilateral. Three of these testes were associated with müllerian structures and were dysgenetic, showing a thin, insufficiently collagenized tunica albuginea, similar to the ovarian stroma. The other 6 testes corresponded to: 4 normal children, 1 child with idiopathic male pseudohermaphroditism without Müllerian structures, and another with unilateral inguinal cryptorchidism. In these 6 testes the tunica albuginea was histologically normal. These results suggest that the presence of seminiferous tubules in the tunica albuginea is not sufficient to diagnose testicular dysgenesis. Such a diagnosis may only be indicated if the tunica albuginea also exhibits the other characteristic features of dysgenetic testes.
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