Diagnostic value of ultrasonography in acute scrotum

Kim, Hyeon Hoe; Paick, Jae Seung; Kim, Si Whang

Abstract

A study was done to evaluate the diagnostic value of ultrasonography on acute scrotum patients. During the last three years, 25 patients were managed at Cheju Medical Center, eight of them were testicular torsion patients including one cryptorchid testicular torsion. one torsion of appendix testis, 11 acute epididymitis and 5 testicular rupture due to blunt scrotal trauma. Ultrasonography revealed enlarged testis and epididymis in all of the 8 testicular torsion patients and 7 of them showed inhomogeneously decreased echogenecity of the testis and epididymis. All acute epididymitis patients showed enlargement of the epididymis, and inhomogeneously decreased echogenecity was found in 8 of them. But testicular echogenecity was normal in all of the acute epididymitis patients and enlargement of the testis was found in two. All of the 5 testicular rupture patients showed irregular hypoechoic portions in the testicle and distorted testicular morphology, and linear fracture lines of the testis were found in two. We could suggest that scrotal ultrasonography is useful for the early differential diagnosis of the acute scrotum, especially when scrotal radioisotope scan is not available.