Vascular Pathology Related to Extracellular Material Accumulation

Abstract

Extracellular materials that can accumulate on the wall of the testicular vessels are varied. All have in common that they originate directly from the blood. Histologically they are acellular eosinophilic deposits. Depending on the type of material, they preferably affect the intimae, the media or the vascular adventitia, or even the lumen or the wall of the seminiferous tubules. The three most common diseases with vascular extracellular deposits are arteriolar hyalinosis, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and amyloidosis. The differential diagnosis between these entities usually presents no difficulties. But if we take into account the severity of the pathology of patients with DIC and amyloidosis and the resemblance of some lesions, especially in early stages, to a banal lesion such as arteriolar hyalinosis, then accuracy in diagnosis is necessary. This chapter is devoted to the differential diagnosis of accumulated materials through the study of biopsies, surgical specimens, and autopsies in which there is an important testicular involvement. Testicular lesions in different types of amyloidosis deserve special attention.