Hydrocele Health Dictionary

A soft, painless swelling in the scrotum caused by the space around a testis filling with fluid. A hydrocele may be caused by inflammation, infection, or injury to the testis; occasionally, the cause is a tumour. More often, there is no apparent cause. Hydroceles commonly occur in middle-aged men, and treatment is rarely necessary. If the swelling is uncomfortable or painful, however, the fluid may be withdrawn through a needle. Recurrent swelling may be treated by surgery.

A circumscribed collection of fluid in the tunica vaginalis testis

An organized mass of serous or lymphatic fluid, usually encapsulated by connective tissue. An internal blister. The term is usually applied to a hydrocele of the testes, but a breast cyst is also a hydrocele.

n. the accumulation of watery liquid in a sac, usually the sac surrounding the testes. This condition is characterized by painless enlargement of the scrotum; it is treated surgically, by drainage of the fluid or removal of the sac.