Hydrocele (dropsy of the testicle) is a disease that is characterized by fluid accumulation between the two (parietal and visceral) testis membranes, which leads to an increase in the organ. Dropsy of the testicles in boys is quite common as a congenital disease, and hydrocele is also recorded in mature men (about 1%). The most sensitive to this disease are children under two years of age.
Dropsy of the testicles in infants in most cases is congenital. Very often (in approximately 80%) in newborn boys, the vaginal process of the peritoneum is open, and it is not uncommon for it to grow over the course of a year and a half.
Hydrocele can occur in acute and chronic forms. Usually, the development of the disease occurs painlessly, which is associated with a significant period of fluid accumulation between the testis membranes. These membranes synthesize a special fluid that is necessary to lubricate the inner surface of the scrotum. This fluid promotes the free movement of the testis in the scrotum. Normally, there is a kind of balance between the synthesis and adsorption of this liquid. In violation of these processes, a physiological dropsy of the testes develops. This type of disease occurs in more than 10% of newborns; such dropsy passes by the first year of life on its own. This is due to an increase in the adsorption properties of the testes. The shape and size of the hydrocele can be different and depend on the amount of fluid that has accumulated in the scrotum. Cases have been reported when patients accumulated more than 3 liters of fluid, while the scrotum resembled a soccer ball.
The causes of the disease can be injuries in the scrotum, orchitis, orchoepididymitis, as well as infectious (tuberculosis) and cancer, varicocele, inguinal hernia, etc.
Dropsy of the testicles in boys is a complication.
Significant sizes of hydrocele provoke a violation of blood circulation in the testes. All this can cause the development of atrophic processes in the tissues of the testes and lead to infertility over time.
Dropsy of the testicle in the baby is associated with the incomplete process of overgrowth of the vaginal canal of the peritoneum. In some cases, the canal can be sized so that loops of the intestine can enter the scrotum, resulting in an inguinal hernia. Normally, dropsy in newborns does not require medical intervention. In premature infants, hydrocele is most often recorded. The cause of hydrocele can be: constant anxiety of the baby, improper exercise.
Dropsy of the testicles in boys is diagnosed by examination and by palpation. When probing, an enlarged, dense scrotal consistency is revealed. Hydrocele should be differentiated from a hernia, cyst. For this, instrumental diagnostics (ultrasound), diaphanoscopy, scrotum puncture or testis biopsy are often used.
Dropsy of the testicles in boys: treatment methods. In the early stages of diseases conservative methods of treatment are used, but most often resort to radical methods - surgical intervention. Conservative methods of treatment are aimed at eliminating the root cause. With hydrocele with inflammatory reactions of the testis and its appendages, antibiotic therapy, rest and wearing a suspension are prescribed. The puncture method removes fluid from the hydrocele cavity. But most of all, experts still use radical methods of treatment. Operations are usually performed under local anesthesia. The cost of a hydrocele operation depends on the complexity of the surgical intervention, the size of the dropsy, the type of anesthesia, etc. Untimely appeal to specialists leads to atrophy and even necrosis of the testis, which will lead to orchidectomy. Therefore, with this diagnosis, you should not delay the visit to specialists.