ABSTRACT
The testes develop in the retroperitoneum below the kidneys in early fetal life. About the same time as the wolffian duct becomes the epididymis and vas deferens, the precursor of the gubernaculum develops as a fold of peritoneum. The processus vaginalis starts as a dimple of peritoneum in about the 10th week of gestation and precedes the testis in its journey through the abdominal wall down to the scrotum. The fully developed gubernaculum contains muscle fibres but it is still not clear what part it plays in testicular descent. Maternal chorionic gonadotrophin stimulates growth of the testis and may stimulate its migration. Imperfectly developed testes tend to descend incompletely.
