Testicular microlithiasis: ultrasonic diagnostic value and its clinical significance / 医学研究生学报

ABSTRACT

Objectives:To study the ultrasonogram, diagnosis and significance of testicular microlithiasis (TM). Methods:The clinical data and ultrasonographic outcomes of 97 patients with the genital system diseases were retrospectively analyzed. Results:Five patients with TM were found, and the prevalence of TM is 5.2%. of 5 cases, 2 cases were associated with infertility, 1 cases with orchitis,1 case with seminoma, and 1 case with mature teratoma. Three cases with varicocele,2 cases with atrophic testis, 1 case with hydrocele and 1 case with spermatocele, were found out with the use of a high frequency transducer. The sonographic appearance of TM is multiple tiny(1-3 mm),no acoustic shadowing hyperechoic foci that are randomly scattered throughout the testicular parenchyma. Conclusions:Testicular microlithiasis has been associated with a variety of clinical entities, and it is an uncommon condition in which calcified concretions fill the lumen of seminiferous tubule, commonly diagnosed by high frequency (5～10 MHz ) testicular ultrasound. The accepted standard of TM is multiple small nonshadowing hyperechoic foci up to 3 mm in size, with five or more evident on a single sonogram.