A Man With Testicular Pain

Abstract

An 86-year-old male with a history of diabetes presented to the emergency department (ED) with left testicular pain for 2 days. Physical examination demonstrated an uncircumcised male with a normal testicular lie, left testicle enlargement, erythema, and tenderness to palpation. The patient was afebrile, with a WBC count of 9,000 cells/uL, and urinalysis revealed leukocytes. ED point-of-care ultrasonography was obtained (Figures 1 and 2).Figure 2Sonographic image of the left testicle in the sagittal plane obtained with a high frequency linear transducer demonstrated a hypoechoic structure (arrow) with increased surrounding vascular flow demonstrating inflammatory changes (star) within the testicle. Scrotal wall thickening was seen (asterisk).View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT) Testicular abscess. Testicular abscess on ultrasonography is typically spherical or elliptical, with a focal area of mixed echogenicity due to necrotic cellular debris.1Gaillard F. Testicular abscess: radiology reference article.https://radiopaedia.org/articles/testicular-abscess?lang=usDate accessed: December 12, 2020Google Scholar,2O’Rourke K. Kibbee N. Stubbs A. Ultrasound for the evaluation of skin and soft tissue infections.Mo Med. 2015; 112: 202-205PubMed Google Scholar Testicular abscess may also demonstrate enlargement of the affected testicle and a reactive hydrocele. Testicular abscess is rare and typically results from untreated or severe epididymo-orchitis. In sexually active patients, common pathogens include Neisseria gonorrhea and Chlamydia trachomatis. However, those who are not sexually active can have other gram-negative and gram-positive organisms.1Gaillard F. Testicular abscess: radiology reference article.https://radiopaedia.org/articles/testicular-abscess?lang=usDate accessed: December 12, 2020Google Scholar,3Mevorach R.A. Lerner R.M. Dvoretsky P.M. et al.Testicular abscess: diagnosis by ultrasonography.J Urol. 1986; 136: 1213-1216Crossref PubMed Google Scholar,4Hackett B. Sletten Z. Bridwell R.E. Testicular abscess and ischemia secondary to epididymo-orchitis.Cureus. 2020; 12e8991PubMed Google Scholar Typically, patients will report testicular pain, swelling, and fever. The differential diagnosis includes testicular torsion, epididyomo-orchitis, epididymal abscess, testicular cancer, and testicular trauma. Ultrasound is the initial imaging modality needed to differentiate testicular abscess from other similarly presenting diagnoses. Treatment depends on the size of the testicular abscess and clinical parameters. Minor cases (those in patients who have normal WBC counts, are afebrile, are able to urinate, and do not have signs of necrotizing fasciitis) can be treated with antibiotics, while more severe cases may require surgical debridement or orchiectomy. ED treatment includes initiation of antibiotic therapy and urology consultation.