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The vas deferens (ductus deferens) connects the tail of the epididymis to the urethra. It comprises, from inside to outside, tall columnar epithelium with stereocilia and centrally located nuclei, a highly folded mucosa, a fibrous lamina propria, thick circular smooth muscle layer, a thinner longitudinal smooth muscle layer, and a serosa. Between the mucosal folds the epithelium is seemingly pseudostratified. The vas deferens widens and forms an ampulla at its end. This ampulla has low columnar epithelium without stereocilia.
The 4X micrograph is a cross section of the vas deferens and the male accessory glands it is associated with, including the anterior prostate, the ampullary gland and the seminal vesicle. The 10X micrograph illustrates the lamina propria, the smooth muscle layers, and the tall columnar epithelium. The 20X and 40X micrographs display the columnar epithelium at increasing detail, with the 40X micrograph showing the centrally located nuclei and the stereocilia of this epithelium.
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