Brown patches in the epididymis.
Brown patches were found in the head of the epididymis in 66 out of 100 consecutive male necropsies. They appear to be lesions due to local obstruction of ductuli efferentes by dehydrated semen. These common lesions are probably similar to origin to sperm granulomas, and might be significant in the origin of sperm auto-antibodies; their further study might help to elucidate some of the outstanding problems of male fertility.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001344:Autopsy; D004822:Epididymis / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010858:Pigmentation; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D013077:Sperm Head; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000648:ultrastructure