Expert: John Locke - 9/28/2008

Question
hello Sir,
1) What is inguinal canal?
2) my book says"Sometimes due to pressure in the                                                       abdomen,the intestine bulges into the scrotum through the inguinal canal and causes the most common type of hernia."
sir,please explain these lines.
3) My book says ,"the seminal vesicle are a pair of lobulated glands located between the posterior surfaces of urinary bladder and  the rectum.A duct from each seminal vesicle joins the corresponding sperm duct"
sir, I want to ask  whether a duct from each of the vesicle joins the sperm duct or not if not,how does it happen and also please tell that where does the two ducts join.

Answer
Thanks for using AllExperts.

1. The inguinal canal is an anatomical structure formed by the lower edges of the abdominal muscles and the tissues that cover them; it is located about where your leg joins your torso and forms a sort of tunnel through which several structures pass. In men, the spermatic cord (a part of the testes) passes through the inguinal canal on its way to the urinary tract. In women, the round ligament of the uterus passes through the canal; this ligament helps hold the uterus in its natural anatomical position. In both men and women, a nerve also runs through the inguinal canal.

The borders of the inguinal canal are fairly specific, so if you're looking for a complete description, you can find it here, under "Topographic Anatomy":

http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/gastrointestinal_system/inguinal_tables.html

2. As your book suggests, the small intestine can be forced downward through the inguinal canal and cause a hernia in certain situations. This usually occurs when there is increased pressure within the abdomen; this forces the intestines downward to relieve some of that pressure, resulting in a loop of intestine being pushed into the groin region. This is known as an inguinal hernia and, like your book says, it is by far the most common type of hernia.

3. The seminal vesicles produce part of the seminal fluid that is expelled during ejaculation. They are indeed located behind and below the urinary bladder, and there are always two of them, located symmetrically on either side of the bladder. A tube leads from each seminal vesicle into the prostate gland, where it joins with a prostate gland structure known as the vas deferens; together these two ducts form the sperm duct. To answer your questions, yes, the ducts from the seminal vesicles will form the sperm duct; they do this by joining the vas deferens from the prostate to form the sperm duct. This junction takes place within the prostate gland.

You may want to look at a picture to understand the organization exactly:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Male_anatomy.png

Note how the seminal vesicle duct enters the prostate gland, and how the sperm duct eventually enters the urethra. The sperm duct is called the "ejaculatory duct" in this picture, but it is the same thing.

Good luck!