[Surgical treatment of hydrocele--modern aspects]

Basically no one has ever introduced into practice any better procedure in cases of hydrocele than those of Winkelmann and Bergman. We recommend always a resection of the covering sheets of the testis as a profilactic measure against recurrency. Our study included 192 patients with hydrocele who were operated during the period 2000-2001 in the Clinic of Urology, Medical University of Sofia. The surgical procedures included: Winkelmann's procedure--in 118 cases (61,45%); Bergman's procedure--in 63 cases (32,81%);Orchiectomy--in 3 cases (1.56%) of total testicular atrophy; Combination of hydrocele and co-existing groin hernia was found in 4 cases (2,08%); Orchiectomy--in 1 case (0.52%) of bleeding which lead to hematoma on the 4th postoperative day; Reoperation--in 1 case (0.52%) of compression of the testicular blood vessels (after Winkelmann's procedure); Suppuration of the operative wound-- in 2 cases (1.02%) after Winkelmann's procedures. The authors consider that: 1. Winkelmann's and Bergman's procedures prooved to be quite satifactory as surgical treatment of patients with hydrocele. 2. Diagnosis and surgical treatment are easy to be performed. Postoperative complications are possible in cases of poor surgical technics, damaged local status and shortened time for hemostasis. 3. The well-known method of Lord was not used in our practice, but we do not deny it.