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A hydrocele testis is an accumulation of clear fluid in the tunica vaginalis
Tunica vaginalis

The tunica vaginalis is the serous covering of the testis.It is a pouch of serous membrane, derived from the saccus vaginalis of the peritoneum, which in the fetus preceded the descent of the testis from the abdomen into the scrotum....
, the most internal of membranes containing a testicle
Testicle

The testicle is the male gonad in animals. This article will concentrate on mammalian testicles unless otherwise noted.The etymology of the word is somewhat colorfully based on Roman law....
. A primary hydrocele causes a painless enlargement in the scrotum on the affected side and is thought to be due to the defective absorption of fluid secreted between the two layers of the tunica vaginalis (investing membrane). A secondary hydrocele is secondary to either inflammation or a neoplasm in the testis.

A hydrocele
Hydrocele

A hydrocele denotes a pathology accumulation of serous fluid in a bodily cavity.* A hydrocele testis is the accumulation of fluids around a testicle, and is fairly common....
 usually occurs on one side.






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Encyclopedia


A hydrocele testis is an accumulation of clear fluid in the tunica vaginalis
Tunica vaginalis

The tunica vaginalis is the serous covering of the testis.It is a pouch of serous membrane, derived from the saccus vaginalis of the peritoneum, which in the fetus preceded the descent of the testis from the abdomen into the scrotum....
, the most internal of membranes containing a testicle
Testicle

The testicle is the male gonad in animals. This article will concentrate on mammalian testicles unless otherwise noted.The etymology of the word is somewhat colorfully based on Roman law....
. A primary hydrocele causes a painless enlargement in the scrotum on the affected side and is thought to be due to the defective absorption of fluid secreted between the two layers of the tunica vaginalis (investing membrane). A secondary hydrocele is secondary to either inflammation or a neoplasm in the testis.

A hydrocele
Hydrocele

A hydrocele denotes a pathology accumulation of serous fluid in a bodily cavity.* A hydrocele testis is the accumulation of fluids around a testicle, and is fairly common....
 usually occurs on one side. The accumulation can be a marker of physical trauma
Physical trauma

Physical trauma refers to a body injury. A trauma patient is someone who has suffered serious and life-threatening physical injury with the potential for secondary complications such as Shock , respiratory failure and death....
, infection
Infection

An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host resources to multiply ....
 or tumor
Tumor

A tumor or tumour is the name for a swelling or lesion formed by an abnormal growth of cells . Tumor is not synonymous with cancer. A tumor can be Benign neoplasm, Carcinoma in situ or malignant, whereas cancer is by definition malignant....
, but the cause is generally unknown.

Symptoms


A hydrocele feels like a small fluid filled balloon inside the scrotum
Scrotum

In some male mammals the scrotum is a protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles. It is an extension of the abdomen, and is located between the penis and anus....
. It is smooth, and is mainly in front of one of the testes. Hydroceles vary greatly in size. Hydroceles are normally painless and harmless. Large hydroceles cause discomfort because of their size. As the fluid of a hydrocele is transparent, light shone through a hydrocelic region will be visible from the other side.

Symptoms of a hydrocele can easily be distinguished from testicular cancer
Testicular cancer

Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.In the United States, between 7,500 and 8,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer are made each year....
, as a hydrocele is soft and fluidy, where a testicular cancer feels hard and rough.

Through diagnostic ultrasound
Ultrasound

Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing . Although this limit varies from person to person, it is approximately 20 Hertz in healthy, young adults and thus, 20 kHz serves as a useful lower limit in describing ultrasound....
 the accumulation of fluids can be diagnosed correctly.

Treatment


The accumulation should generally be removed surgically
Surgery

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason....
. The procedure is called hydrocelectomy, the tunica vaginalis is excised, the fluid drained, and the edges of the tunica are sutured to prevent the reaccumulation of fluid.

If the hydrocele is not surgically removed, it may continue to grow. The hydrocele fluid can be aspirated, the procedure is less invasive but recurrence rates are high. Sclerotherapy, the injection of a solution following aspiration of the hydrocele fluid may increase success rates. In many patients, the procedure of aspiration
Aspiration

Aspiration may refer to:*Aspiration , the release of a strong burst of air after some obstruents*Engine aspiration method:**Naturally-aspirated engine, an internal combustion engine that relies on atmospheric pressure for air intake...
 and sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is a procedure used to treat blood vessels or blood vessel malformations and also those of the lymphatic system. The term was coined in the 1940's by United States physician H....
 is repeated as the hydrocele recurrs.

Fertility


A hydrocele testis is not generally thought to affect fertility. However, it may be indicative of other factors that may affect fertility.

Footnotes