Pathogenesis of hydrocele in Egypt

ABSTRACT

Out of 50 patients having idiopathic hydrocaele, 34 [68%] had bilharzial infection and all had negative intradermal test for filaria. Circumoval precipitin test [C.O.P.T.] was positive in the sera of 34 [68%] patients and hydrocaele fluid of 28 [56%] ones. Double gel diffusion test [D.G.D.T.] was positive in the sera of 25 [50%] cases and hydrocaele fluid of 19 [38%] ones. Histopathological examination of the tunica vaginalis revealed bilharzia ova in only one case [2%] while tissue digestion technique showed bilharzia ova living or dead in 34 [68%] ones. All cases with positive C.O.P.T. in the hydrocaele fluid [56%] had living bilharzia ova by tissue digestion technique [56%].The 26 cases having secondary hydrocaele and presenting with local inflammation of the scrotum, had positive intradermal test for filaria. Intradermal test for bilharziasis was positive in 9 cases [35%]. C.O.P.T. and D.G.D.T. were positive in the sera of 4 [15%] patients and in none of hydrocaele fluids. Histopathological examination of the tunica vaginalis revealed chronic inflammatory cells with prevelance of eosinophils. Tissue digestion showed no bilharzia ova. Out of fifty hamsters infected with S. mansoni, 12 [24%] showed varying degrees of congestion of the tunica vaginalis with no bilharzia ova