Organ
Ejaculatory duct
The terminal shared route for sperm and seminal-vesicle fluid
High-yield
Vas deferens plus seminal vesicle duct forms the ejaculatory duct; the prostate surrounds the final pathway to the urethra.
Overview
Each ejaculatory duct begins where the ductus deferens joins the seminal vesicle duct. It passes through the central zone of the prostate toward the posterior prostatic urethra. The paired openings flank the prostatic utricle at the seminal colliculus.
Reference facts
- Location
- Short intraprostatic ducts descending from the gland's base toward the seminal colliculus.
- Parts
- Formed by the junction of the deferential ampulla and seminal vesicle duct; surrounded largely by central-zone tissue.
- Blood supply
- Receives small branches from the prostatic and adjacent vesical arterial networks.
- Innervation
- Associated autonomic fibers arise from the pelvic/prostatic plexuses; sympathetic contractions upstream contribute to emission.
- Venous/Lymphatic drainage
- Venous return joins the prostatic plexus; lymphatic pathways connect with pelvic nodal groups.
- Relations
- The prostatic utricle opens between the two ducts; seminal vesicles and deferential ampullae lie superior and posterior to their origins.
- Function
- Conducts sperm mixed with seminal-vesicle secretion into the prostatic urethra.
Clinical correlation
Complete bilateral obstruction can cause low-volume, acidic semen with very few or no sperm and reduced fructose contribution. Partial obstruction produces a less uniform pattern, and imaging findings alone are not diagnostic.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the ejaculatory duct located?
The ejaculatory duct lies short intraprostatic ducts descending from the gland's base toward the seminal colliculus.
What does the ejaculatory duct do?
Conducts sperm mixed with seminal-vesicle secretion into the prostatic urethra.
What are the parts of the ejaculatory duct?
Formed by the junction of the deferential ampulla and seminal vesicle duct; surrounded largely by central-zone tissue.
What is the blood supply of the ejaculatory duct?
Receives small branches from the prostatic and adjacent vesical arterial networks.