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Testicular hydrocephalus is an enlargement of the contents of the scrotum caused by the accumulation of serous contents within the testicle’s own sheath. It can appear in men of any age, even in infants. However, in young children, testicular hydrocele is not a threat, unlike in adults, in whom it can even be cancer.
What is a testicular hydrocele?
Testicular hydrocele is a condition characterized by an enlarged scrotum due to the accumulation of amber-colored serous content within the testicular sheath. To put it simply, it is a type of cyst, i.e. a formation in which there is a fluid surrounded by sheaths. A testicular hydrocephalus may appear as a result of the abnormal descent of the testicles into the scrotum, and more specifically, the non-attachment of the vaginal process after the testis descent.
Under normal circumstances, the appendix should close up during the development of the fetus and be placed on the front surface of the testicle as an empty sac. The testicular hydration causes the vaginal process not to closewith the consequent accumulation of peritoneal fluid in it, which transforms into a hydrocele or hydrocele.
The ailment of testicular hydrocephalus usually occurs in adult men, but it can also affect infants.
The causes of testicular hydrocele
Testicular hydroceles may be congenital or acquired. The former are formed during organogenesis, and their presence is diagnosed after the child is born. On the other hand, acquired hydrocele arises for various reasons, most often due to:
- testicular inflammation
- epididymitis,
- testicular trauma,
- testicular cancer,
- varicocele surgery,
- inguinal hernia surgery.
Symptoms of testicular hydrocele
A testicular hydrocele is usually characterized by unilateral enlargement of the scrotum (usually on the right side). In the evening, the difference in the appearance of the scrotum is more noticeable than in the morning, then the amount of fluid is increased. The testicle is enlarged and the patient can feel an oval, soft and sliding lump on its surface. Manual examination of a hydrocele is not painful (with the exception of testicular hydrocele, which is the result of cancer or acute inflammation).
In adult men with an “acquired” testicular hydrocele, the amount of fluid in the scrotum gradually and rapidly increases. There are also situations in which the patient is unable to move normally due to a large hydrocele. Interestingly – it does not cause problems during micturition. A testicular hydration can cause infertility because new sperm synthesis is missing and the testicle is lost.
Summary of testicular hydrocele symptoms:
- enlargement of the hydrocele in the evening hours,
- increasing the size of the testicle and its surface taut without reddening,
- painless urination without discomfort,
- light scattering through the scrotum,
- problems with walking (sometimes),
- rarely pain.
Testicular hydrocephalus – diagnostics
As mentioned above, a characteristic feature of a testicular hydrocele is an enlarged scrotum. Therefore, every man who noticed an enlarged scrotum should necessarily see a specialist. The doctor will conduct palpation, which is the basis for the diagnosis of testicular hydrocele. It will also apply diaphanoscopywhich consists in x-raying the scrotum with light coming from a flashlight. The doctor checks if it shines through the scrotum, if so – there is fluid in it. However, if the light does not penetrate the scrotum – it is a solid mass. Another basic test is imaging in the form of ultrasonography.
Testicular ultrasound is the primary examination for the diagnosis of testicular hydrocele. The final decision where the cyst comes from – the surgeon obtains when he opens the scrotum during surgery.
You can find facilities where you can perform testicular ultrasound in the clinics.pl database.
Specialists diagnosing testicular hydrocele also remember about other ailments that may affect the correct diagnosis. They take into account, among others: acute orchitis, scrotal hernia or testicular cancer.
Kernel hydrocele – treatment
Treatment of a testicular hydrocele is operative and consists in opening the cyst and cutting out or evolving its wall. In the case of congenital hydrocele, it usually undergoes several months of observation, as in many cases it is spontaneously absorbed by the age of one.
Surgery is considered when the hydrocele is not resolved by the age of 2.
“Acquired” testicles are treated in two ways:
- puncture of a hydrocele to drain the fluid – this procedure is not recommended because it is unstable, the disease comes back soon, and because it is easy to overlook a testicular tumor when treating it through subsequent punctures;
- surgical treatment – consists in opening the cyst and cutting out or evolving its wall.
Among the indications predisposing to treatment, we distinguish:
- risk of complications,
- sterility,
- trouble with a thorough test of the testicle,
- nagging pain,
- the inability to distinguish between a testicular hydrocele from an inguinal hernia,
- appearance (aesthetic problem).
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