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Infection, pain, fertility problems. Intimate ailments are still a taboo subject for many men. They are ashamed to go to the doctor and tell about their problems and ailments, especially when they concern the penis, prostate or scrotum. In the case of diagnostics of the latter, an ultrasound examination is performed, which allows to assess the condition of the scrotum. What does the examination look like and how to prepare for it?
What is the scrotum?
The scrotum is a bag of skin between the anus and the penis. This is where the testicles of a man are located. In addition to the testicles, epididymides are located in it, as well seminal cordwhich is the initial part of the vas deferens. The scrotum plays a very important role – not only does it protect the male reproductive organs, but also maintains the correct temperature of the intimate areas – even 4 ° C lower than that in the human abdominal cavity.
Why is it so important? The elements of the male reproductive system located in the scrotum are responsible for secretion of testosterone and sperm production, for which high temperature is very detrimental and often affects male infertility. Thanks to the ultrasound examination of the scrotum, the doctor is able to assess the condition and functioning of all elements of the reproductive system located in the scrotum.
What is an ultrasound examination?
Ultrasound is a completely painless and safe examination for the patient, during which we obtain an accurate picture of the examined organs. It is possible thanks to the use of ultrasounds – acoustic waves inaudible to the human ear. How does ultrasound make us see an image of our organs on the screen?
The ultrasound scanner, i.e. the device for ultrasound examination, consists of two most important parts – the head emitting ultrasounds and the monitor on which the image appears. When the doctor places the transducer against the patient’s skin, the ultrasounds begin to penetrate it and reflect on the structures inside the body. Any tissue they encounter will create darker and lighter spots that make up the image visible on the screen.
Indications for the ultrasound of the scrotum
Na ultrasound examination In most cases, men who report to the doctor with pain in the scrotum, testicular asymmetry or nodules discovered during self-examination. Usually, the scrotal ultrasound is the first examination to diagnose these disorders. It is worth knowing that this test can be performed both in adult men and in boys who have abnormalities.
The ultrasound of the scrotum allows you to know the causes of swelling in the testicles, asymmetry, redness, pain, lumps and lumps and their enlargement. The most common causes of testicular enlargement are:
- inflammation;
- abscess;
- testicle torsion;
- testicular tumor;
- hydrocele;
- scrotal hernia;
- testicular cysts;
- cysts.
Ultrasound of the scrotum is also performed in cases scrotal injuryresulting in a rupture and scrotal bleeding. It also allows the diagnosis of infertility resulting from diseases, testicular atrophy, and in the case of young boys – testicular failure. The scrotal ultrasound is also performed simultaneously with the testicular biopsy.
Contraindications to the ultrasound of the scrotum
Basically, there are no contraindications for performing an ultrasound of the scrotum. As it is a completely safe and non-invasive test, it does not affect the functioning of the body and damage to sperm as it is in the case of x-rays. It is worth knowing, however, that in some cases, especially when a man has been diagnosed with severe pain in the testicles or rupture of the scrotumtesting may be impossible or very dangerous for the patient. Its implementation should be consulted with a doctor in these cases.
How to prepare for an ultrasound of the scrotum?
Performing an ultrasound of the scrotum does not require any special preparation from the patient. However, if it is carried out in the process of being performed by a doctor testicular biopsy First of all, we should inform the doctor about all medications we take and about all diseases that we have had in a short time since the examination.
On the day of the examination, you should put on comfortable underwear and pants, taking them off will not be a problem. We don’t need to fast or empty our bladder. There is also no need to epilate the intimate areas. However, remember to wash them thoroughly and take additional underwear, which will come in handy when the one we are wearing gets dirty with the gel used for the test.
The course of ultrasound of the scrotum
The scrotal ultrasound itself takes about 30 minutes. The doctor who will perform them will ask you to take off your pants and lie down on the couch. The test will not be performed in a standing position as the scrotum must be stationary. For this reason, the doctor sometimes uses testicular towels to facilitate the examination.
Often times, the doctor will ask the patient to support the penis and position it towards the abdomen, allowing the scrotum to be exposed. Then, a special gel is applied to the scrotum bag, which improves the quality of the examination and allows the transducer to be moved over the patient’s scrotum.
Then he will apply the head to the scrotum and press it against the skin at different angles to assess the condition of the scrotum and diagnose any abnormalities seen with the naked eye. The doctor analyzes the structure as well as the shape, size and blood flow in individual elements of the male reproductive system.
It is worth being prepared for the fact that, especially in the case of testicular pain, an ultrasound scan of the scrotum may be very unpleasant. The cold gel used for the examination and the head that the doctor presses against the scrotum increase the feeling of discomfort. After completing the test, the patient receives paper towels with which he can wipe the remains of the gel from the test areas. He also immediately receives photos from the examination and their description, which will allow for accurate diagnosis by a urologist.
We should remember that seeking help from a specialist should under no circumstances be associated with shame. Properly fast diagnostics and implemented treatment allow you to completely get rid of the problem and disease. Delaying a visit to the doctor, unfortunately, often ends with the fact that it is simply too late for treatment.