title: Morphological variations of intra-testicular arterial vasculature in bovine testis--a corrosion casting study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Proper blood supply is necessary for the physiological function of every internal organ. The article offers the first classification of the bovine intra-testicular arteries. A corrosive study focused on the intra-testicular arterial vasculature was performed on 40 bovine testes. The vessels were analyzed accurately using MultiScanBase v.18.02 software.
  
  
  METHODS
  A corrosive study focused on the intra-testicular arteries was performed on 40 bovine testes. The vessels were analyzed accurately using MultiScanBase v.18.02 software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In bulls, the centripetal arteries tended to run straight to the mediastinal region, where they form knot-like vascular structures. Those structures are the origin for centrifugal recurrent branches, running peripherally. However, three basic types of intra-testicular arterial vasculature were noted. Type I had centrifugal, recurrent branches, running peripherally towards the surface of the testis but did not reach the tunica albuginea. Type II exhibited centrifugal, recurrent branches running more horizontally than type I. Type III is the most heterogeneous type, composed of other variform types of arteries not classified as type I or type II. Type II was most commonly observed as a vascular conglomerate of intra-testicular arteries within the arterial network of the mediastinum testis. In type III, artery diameter was significantly smaller than observed in types I and II (p < 0.01). Types I and II did not differ between each other regarding artery diameter (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Variations of the intra-testicular arterial vasculature in bovine testis may suggest that particular types of vessels play different physiological roles. The most common type of intra-testicular artery comprising the arterial network of the mediastinum testis was type II.
authors.affiliation: Department of Angiology, Interfaculty Chair of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University of Łódź, Narutowicza 60, Łódź, 90-136, Poland. michal.polguj@umed.lodz.pl.
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polguj
authors.affiliation: Department of Normal Anatomy, Interfaculty Chair of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University of Łódź, Narutowicza 60, Łódź, 90-136, Poland. grzegorz.wysiadecki@umed.lodz.pl.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wysiadecki
authors.affiliation: Department of Normal and Clinical Anatomy, Interfaculty Chair of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University of Łódź, Narutowicza 60, Łódź, 90-136, Poland. chilam@tlen.pl.
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Podgórski
authors.affiliation: Department of Normal and Clinical Anatomy, Interfaculty Chair of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University of Łódź, Narutowicza 60, Łódź, 90-136, Poland. jacek.szymanski1@umed.lodz.pl.
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szymański
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Division, Department of Morphological Science, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland. katarzyna_olbrych@sggw.pl.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Olbrych
authors.affiliation: Department of Normal and Clinical Anatomy, Interfaculty Chair of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University of Łódź, Narutowicza 60, Łódź, 90-136, Poland. lukasz.olewnik@umed.lodz.pl.
authors.forename: Łukasz
authors.initials: Ł
authors.lastname: Olewnik
authors.affiliation: Department of Normal and Clinical Anatomy, Interfaculty Chair of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University of Łódź, Narutowicza 60, Łódź, 90-136, Poland. miroslaw.topol@umed.lodz.pl.
authors.forename: Mirosław
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Topol
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002417:Cattle / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D016319:Corrosion Casting / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D013737:Testis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply*