Hydrocele

What is hydrocele?

Hydrocele is the accumulation of fluid that occurs in the membrane covering the testicle.

It is common for newborns to present hydrocele, which generally disappears spontaneously after one year of life.

Males, regardless of their age, may present a hydrocele due to an inflammatory process or secondary to trauma within the scrotum.

Another common cause, which results in a hydrocele, is secondary to varicocele surgery and in other cases there is no demonstrable cause.

Diagnosis is usually made by the urologist on physical examination, then confirmed by testicular ultrasound.

In most cases the hydrocele has no symptoms, but in some patients it may cause discomfort, testicular heaviness or pain in the scrotal region and/or in others it causes a negative aesthetic effect.

When it is necessary to solve the hydrocele because of its discomfort or size, the solution is surgery. This is an outpatient surgery that is corrected with an incision in the scrotal wall.