High-resolution sonography in experimentally induced scrotal pathology

Benign and malignant extra- and intratesticular lesions were experimentally induced in the testes of Wistar rats so as to evaluate the significance of high-resolution ultrasonography for the early detection of intratesticular malignancy. The animals were studied using high-resolution sonography (mean frequency = 8 MHz) over 6 weeks. Walker carcinomas could be induced in the testicle in 50% of the cases; 8 of 17 showed a locally limited growth. Tumors over 2 mm in diameter showed a typical change in the normal sonographic pattern of the testes. The overall sensitivity of high-resolution sonography for intratesticular lesions was 88%, the specificity 91%. The detection of small intratesticular lesions has made high-resolution sonography superior to conventional sonographic techniques and may therefore prove to be of major clinical significance.