What Is a Hydrocele?
A hydrocele is caused by fluid in the sac surrounding a testicle. The condition is common in newborns and often goes away without treatment.
Hydroceles aren’t painful and won’t harm your baby. However, consult your health care provider for guidance if your baby’s scrotum appears swollen.
Hydrocele Causes in Newborns and Children
Hydroceles often form while the baby is still in the womb. During the baby’s development, the testicles drop from the abdominal area into the scrotum. A fluid-filled sac surrounds each testicle. The sacs close, and the body absorbs the fluid after the testicles reach the scrotum. However, if the sac doesn’t close completely or the fluid isn’t absorbed, the baby is born with a hydrocele.
Hydroceles in older children and adults can result from injuries or infections that cause inflammation within the scrotum.
Hydrocele Risk Factors
Approximately 10% of male babies are born with a hydrocele. Babies born more than three weeks before their due dates are more likely to have a hydrocele.
Injuries, tumors, and infections in the scrotum can also put older boys and men at risk for a hydrocele.
Hydrocele Symptoms
Hydroceles cause painless swelling in one or both testicles. The swelling may increase or decrease throughout the day. If it increases significantly, the testicles may feel heavy.
If the swelling increases suddenly or causes extreme pain, nausea or vomiting, take your baby to a health care provider right away. It’s also important to get treatment if these symptoms follow an injury to the scrotum. They could be a sign of testicular torsion, a condition that requires immediate surgery.
Types of Hydroceles
A communicating hydrocele occurs when the testicular sac doesn’t close completely and fluid moves between the scrotum and the abdomen. Swelling may change throughout the day as the fluid moves back and forth. A communicating hydrocele is a type of inguinal hernia.
A non-communicating hydrocele occurs when the body doesn’t absorb the fluid in the testicular sac. As a result, the scrotum will appear enlarged. Usually, the baby’s body absorbs the testicular sac fluid by the time they are a year old.
Find a Pediatric Surgeon
Hydrocele Ultrasound for Diagnosis
Physical exams and imaging tests help providers diagnose a hydrocele. Your provider may shine a light on your baby’s scrotum to see if fluid surrounds the testicle. If your provider suspects your baby has a communicating hydrocele, they may order a painless ultrasound test to look inside the baby’s abdomen.
Do Hydroceles Go Away?
Hydroceles in newborns usually go away within a few months of birth. But your baby may need surgical repair if the scrotum remains enlarged when the baby is a year old.
Hydrocele Treatment
Health care providers don’t use medicine to treat hydroceles. Instead, doctors monitor babies to see if the swelling improves. However, if the swelling does not go away, your provider may recommend surgery to repair the issue.
Hydrocele Surgery
Hydrocele surgery takes about an hour, and your baby can usually go home with you the same day. Your baby will be asleep during the procedure and will feel no pain.
For a communicating hydrocele, your pediatric surgeon first locates and closes the hole that connects to your baby’s scrotum. We repair any cuts with stitches that dissolve on their own. We may also use special skin glue or another bandage to protect stitches or cuts.
For a non-communicating hydrocele, your pediatric surgeon makes a cut to drain the fluid from your baby’s scrotum. Then they remove the sac from the affected testicle. We repair the cut with dissolvable stitches and special glue or a bandage.
Hydrocele Surgery Recovery
After surgery, your baby may be sore for a week to 10 days. You may also notice discoloration and swelling in your baby’s scrotum, but it will subside within a week of surgery.
Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen should control your baby’s pain. However, be sure to follow the age-specific dosage guidelines on the medication packaging.
Babies can breastfeed or take a bottle after surgery unless their provider instructs differently. If you notice your baby is dehydrated, give them more to drink. Watch out for the following signs of dehydration:
- Chapped lips
- Dry mouth
- Dark yellow urine
- Decreased diaper use
- Sunken fontanel (soft spot)
Why Choose University of Utah Health?
The pediatric surgeons at U of U Health are highly trained and experienced in hydrocele surgery, including minimally invasive surgery. We offer services at three convenient locations: Primary Children’s Hospital, Intermountain Riverton Clinic, and Rock Canyon Pediatric Specialists.
What a Parent Can Expect During Their Baby’s First Appointment With a Pediatric Surgeon
A pediatric surgeon will discuss your baby’s medical history and examine your baby’s scrotum during the first appointment. If the baby is younger than one year, the surgeon will advise you to bring your baby back in six months for a recheck. Otherwise, you will discuss waiting to see if the hydrocele improves or if you want to pursue surgery.
Make an Appointment
If your baby needs hydrocele surgery, please call 801-662-2950 to make an appointment or request an appointment online. Our providers do not require referrals, but your health insurance might require a referral from your primary care doctor before you can see us. Please check your plan’s specific requirements.
Doctors can refer patients to a pediatric surgeon by calling 801-213-3599 or completing our online referral form.
