What is hydrocele and what are its clinical symptoms?

The disease of hydrocele is not unfamiliar to most men. After discovering that they have this disease, they also need to find out the cause in time. So, what is hydrocele and what are the clinical symptoms?

What is spermatic cord hydrocele?

When the testis descends from the retroperitoneal space, the processus vaginalis composed of two layers of peritoneum also enters the scrotum through the inguinal canal. Under normal circumstances, before and after the birth of the fetus, the upper 2/3 of the processus vaginalis is completely closed, and the processus vaginalis of the testis forms a blind bag that surrounds the testis, which is called the testicular tunica vaginalis. A small amount of fluid accumulates in the testicular tunica vaginalis, which can act as a lubricant to facilitate testicular movement. If the amount of fluid in the congenital tunica vaginalis sac increases abnormally or the processus vaginalis closure is abnormal, causing fluid accumulation in the sac, hydrocele will form. In addition, when the processus vaginalis closure is normal, due to acquired factors such as testicular and epididymal infection, tumor, filariasis or trauma, the amount of fluid in the tunica vaginalis increases, and hydrocele may also occur.

Hydrocele is a common disease in men. The testicles descend from the abdominal cavity into the scrotum during the 8th to 9th month of gestational age. When the testicles descend into the scrotum, the passage from the abdominal cavity to the scrotum will be closed. If it is not closed, it is also called chordae vaginalis insufficiency in medicine. As a result, the peritoneal fluid flows to the scrotum when the abdominal pressure increases, forming a congenital communicating hydrocele. If it is in the spermatic cord, it will be closed at both ends of the abdominal cavity and the testicle, forming a congenital spermatic cord hydrocele. Hydrocele can also be caused by infection of the testicles and epididymis, trauma, tumors, and filariasis.

Symptoms of hydrocele:

1. Traditional Chinese medicine diagnoses hydrocele as water hernia, believing that hydrocele is caused by insufficient kidney qi, weak kidney yang, inability to gasify water, or spleen qi deficiency, spleen yang deficiency and coldness, lack of transportation and transformation, retention of water and dampness, or improper diet, endogenous dampness and heat, which flow down to the kidneys, or kidney injury, blood stasis blocking the water channels.

2. The testicles of patients with hydrocele will be oblong or round, located above the testicles to the inner ring area of ​​the inguinal groove, resembling two testicles, and can move with the pull of the testicles. The communicating hydrocele is pear-shaped, with the pear handle facing the inguinal groove, but it is connected to the abdominal cavity and can be compressed. It will disappear by itself when lying on your back. After the testicles atrophy, they are small in size and soft in texture. Some patients have symptoms of neurasthenia such as mood swings, irritability, and insomnia.

3. The most obvious symptom of hydrocele is scrotal cystic mass, which is usually smooth, soft, wavy, and non-tender. The scrotal skin is usually normal, but may be edematous and tender when there is inflammation. When the pressure inside the sac is high, it has high tension and elasticity when touched. When the cyst wall is thickened and calcified, it may feel uneven in texture, with a nodular feel or a creaking sound. A huge hydrocele can cause the penis to sink into the scrotal skin, which can make urination difficult, and urine can soak into the scrotal skin and cause erosion. Except for communicating hydrocele, the mass cannot be reduced and does not change with changes in body position. The location and shape of the mass vary with the type of hydrocele. The mass of hydrocele is usually round and not easily accessible to the testicles.