A 35-year-old male is admitted to the hospital with an indirect inguinal hernia. During an open hernioplasty (in contrast to a laparoscopic procedure), the spermatic cord and the internal abdominal oblique muscles are identified. Which component of the spermatic cord is derived from the internal abdominal oblique muscle?

The contents of the spermatic cord include ductus deferens; testicular, cremasteric, and deferential arteries; the pampiniform plexus of testicular nerve; the genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve; the cremasteric nerves; and the testicular sympathetic plexus and also lymph vessels. The cremaster muscle and fascia originate from the internal abdominal oblique muscle. The external spermatic fascia is derived from the aponeurosis and fascia of the external oblique muscle. The tunica vaginalis is a continuation of the processus vaginalis (from parietal peritoneum) that covers the anterior and lateral sides of the testes and epididymis. The internal spermatic fascia is derived from the transversalis fascia. The dartos tunic consists of a blending of the adipose (Camper) and membranous (Scarpa) layers of the superficial fascia, with interspersed smooth muscle fibers.