Differential Diagnostic Method of Acute Scrotum

ABSTRACT

Acute scrotum is any pathologic condition of the scrotum or intrascrotal contents that requires emergency medical or surgical management. Management of each disease entity is different, but the differential diagnosis is very difficult. So many testes were lost due to delay of the adequate diagnosis or unnecessary explorations had been taken under the misdiagnosis. A study was done to evaluate the differential diagnostic value of clinical symptoms and signs, physical examinations, laboratory data and radiologic studies including scrotal Doppler ultrasonography on acute scrotum patients. During the two years, thirty patients were visited to emergency medical center of Ajou university. There were 5 patients with testicular torsion, 16 acute epididymitis, 5 orchitis, 3 edema of scrotum, 1 infected hydrocele, the mean age of total patients was 17 years old. Symptoms and signs, laboratory data showed no specific ability to differentiate each disease entities, but radiographic evaluations were useful to differentiate testicular torsion from non-torsion acute scrotum. We could suggest that scrotal Doppler ultrasonography is useful for early differential diagnosis of the acute scrotum, especially in emergency department.