[Realtime sonography of intrascrotal space-occupying lesions]

In 848 examinations of the testes in 317 patients, including 253 follow-up and/or multiple follow-up examinations and 36 unilateral testicle examinations (e.g., orchidectomy, aplasia or nondescent) it was shown that sonography is a diagnostic method which is on the one hand capable of clearly differentiating cystic from solid space-occupying processes, and on the other hand also offers certain possibilities for evaluating the status of solid findings. Histologic identification of malignant tumors was only achieved with teratomas. The differential diagnostic problem was in differentiating scrotal tumors from focal orchitis, chronic epididymitis, testicular torsion and contusion, and in differentiation between paratesticular neoplasms and epididymitides. The testicular findings included testicular neoplasms, cicatrization and cysts of the tunic, sequelae of trauma, orchitis, cryptorchism, hypoplasia, aplasia, and testicular cysts. Paratesticular findings included hydroceles, spermatoceles, varicoceles, paratesticular neoplasms, epididymitides, paratesticular scars, and thickening of the testicular coat.