Hydrocele of the Cord

September 14, 2005

Alexander K. C. Leung, MD, Andrew L. Wong, MD

A 12-year-old boy was brought to his physician because of a tensely cystic mass in the right side of the scrotum. The spermatic cord could be felt above and below the lump. It had no cough impulse.

A 12-year-old boy was brought to his physician because of a tensely cystic mass in the right side of the scrotum. The spermatic cord could be felt above and below the lump. It had no cough impulse. Surgery was performed, and a hydrocele of the cord was found and removed.

This type of hydrocele results from obliteration of the processus vaginalis proximally and distally, with patency in the midportion of the spermatic cord. It presents as a tense, round cyst outside the external inguinal ring or in the upper scrotum.