The epididymis is the structure located in the scrotum, hugging the testicle.  It has a head which is a the top of the testicle, and a body leading to a tail end a the bottom of the testicle which feeds into the vas deferens.  The testicle generates the sperm, and they are then fed to the epididymis which further allows maturation of the sperm which then proceed into the vas deferens to be delivered to the penis in the ejaculate.  The structure of the epididymis is actually a series of very tiny tubules through with the sperm pass.

Pathologies of the epididymis include cysts (spermatocele), and various benign solid tumors which are rare, and even more rare are cancers of the epididydmis.

Symptoms of epididymal lesions might be heavy feeling in the scrotum, or pain, or a lump felt in the scrotum on routine examination.  Ultrasound imaging can give a lot of information regarding the lesion in the epididydmis, however removal of the lesion via surgery is the only way to know definitively what the lesion is by pathology examination under a microscope.

Epididymal surgery mimics hydrocele surgery as described previously.  The main difference is that there is generally less extensive dissection required in epididymal surgery and thus the operation is of shorter duration.  Potential complications are in line with that of hydrocele surgery as well.