Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

talking to you about Hydrocells. And if you want to follow along with written notes on this topic,

you can follow along at zero tofinals.com slash hydrosile or in the renal and urology section of

the Zero to Finals pediatrics book.

So let's get straight into it.

A hydrocile is a collection of fluid within the tunica vaginalis that surrounds the testes.

The tunica vaginalis is a sealed pouch of membrane that surrounds the testes.

Originally, the tunica vaginalis is part of the peritoneal membrane,

but during development of the fetus, it becomes separated from the peritoneal membrane

and remains in the scrotum, partially covering each testicle.

Firstly, we need to talk about simple hydroceals. Simple hydroceals are common in newborn males.

They occur where fluid is trapped in the tunica vaginalis. Usually this fluid gets

reabsorbed over time and the hydroceal disappears. Next, communicating hydroceals. Communicating hydroceals occur where the tunica

vaginalis surrounding the testicle is connected with the peritoneal cavity via a pathway called

the Processus vaginalis. This allows fluid to travel from the peritoneal cavity into the hydroceal, allowing the

hydroceal to fluctuate in size.

Let's talk about examination.

Hydroceals cause a soft, smooth, non-tender swelling around one of the testes.

The swelling will be in front of and below the testicle.

Simple hydroceals remain one size, whereas communicating hydroceals can fluctuate in size depending on the

volume of fluid from the peritoneal cavity. The key feature to remember when examining a

hydroceal is that they

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