Egg cyst
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Paired male sex glands testicles (testicles) and paired secretory organ epididymis (epididymis) produce spermatozoa and partly the hormone testosterone. In the upper part of these glands, in the area of their appendages or along the spermatic cord, a testicle cyst is often formed - a cavity with a fibrous membrane and liquid contents. Egg cysts belong to benign tumorous formations.
By localization, these formations are divided into left-sided - the cyst of the left testicle, right-sided - the cyst of the right testicle and bilateral - simultaneously in both testicles or cysts of the appendages of both testicles.
Causes of a testicle cyst
Causes of the testicles are not fully understood to date. Among the most probable causes of this pathology is an expansion of the testicle or its appendage due to the limited protrusion of their walls (aneurysm), followed by constriction and cavity formation. But why this is happening, is not exactly known. Although such factors as the presence of a foci of infection or a traumatic effect on the scrotum may play a decisive role here. It is believed that this pathology is both congenital and acquired.
But the cyst of the appendage of the left testicle and the cyst of the appendage of the right testicle (spermatoceles)
It is formed in violation of the release of excretory ducts and their filling with liquid, which for epidermis and transport of spermatozoa produces epididymis. If the scrotum is injured, blood stagnates or inflammation occurs, the spermatic ducts narrow (until complete overlap). As a result, the ejaculate accumulates, stretching the walls of the vas deferens, and thus the formation of the pathological cavity - cysts.
The cause of cysts of the epididymis can also be acute epididymitis - infectious inflammation of the testicle or epididymis caused by gonococci, chlamydia, mycoplasma, ureaplasma, trichomonas and various viruses. As a rule, this disease is a complication of prostatitis, vesiculitis or urethritis - against the background of hypothermia, decreased immunity and scrotal injuries.
Since pathological formations in the testicles can be congenital, the testicular cyst in a child can be detected even immediately after birth. These are dizontogenetic cysts, the etiology of which is associated with impaired fetal formation in the first half of pregnancy, as well as with the birth of a child before the due date or the trauma received by him during childbirth.
If the cyst does not start to grow, then very often it disappears without any treatment. And if the size of the testicle cyst in a child increases, then it is removed with laparoscopy.
Symptoms of the testicle cyst
The clinical picture of cystic formation in the testis or cysts of the epididymis develops from the asymptomatic stage of the disease to the appearance of signs associated with a gradual increase in the size of the cavity.
According to the observations of urologists, in cases of diagnosing testicle cysts, the majority of patients' appeals were associated with self-identification of a small (pea-sized) round or oval seal in the scrotum near the testicle - without the slightest complaint of pain.
With a cyst size of 2-2.5 cm, a man may feel discomfort in the scrotal area. An increase in the size of the cyst of the left testicle or the cyst of the right testicle can cause quite considerable inconveniences during movements, during walking, and also during intimacy.
When the diameter of the cyst is 3-3.5 cm and higher, the vessels and tissues (compression ischemia) of the testicle are squeezed, as well as its nerve endings, as a result of which foci of stagnation are formed. This manifests itself in the form of pains of a pulling nature, which are localized in the scrotum and groin.
What is dangerous testicular cyst?
Experts say that the process of growth of the testicle cyst or its appendage proceeds very slowly and does not lead to any disorders or a decrease in the sexual activity and reproductive function of the man. However, this disease is dangerous because the contents of the cyst can penetrate pathogenic microbes and bacteria, which inevitably causes inflammation. If the size of the testicles or cysts is large, the testicle extends, and with a scrotal injury, a cyst can break. It is not excluded and the degeneration of benign cystic formations into malignant ones.
It should also be borne in mind that the consequences of the testicle cyst (under the condition of bilateral lesions) result in male infertility.
Diagnosis of the testicle cyst
Diagnosis of the testicles as well as cysts of the testicle is based on anamnesis, physical examination (palpation) and ultrasound (ultrasound).
Since the symptoms of this disease are nonspecific, and feeling "blindly" does not give
Full picture of pathological changes, then ultrasound has become the main method of diagnosis of testicular cysts. The ultrasound can determine the exact location and size of the cyst, as well as distinguish it from dropsy, hernia, testicular tumor and varicose veins of the spermatic cord (varicocele).
According to medical statistics, among all patients who for one reason or another undergo examination of the scrotum with ultrasound, testicles are detected in almost every third adult male.
What do need to examine?
Who to contact?
Treatment of testicular cysts
For the treatment of testicular cysts (not complicated by inflammation), there are no medications, and in clinical practice, a patient with this diagnosis should choose either removal of the testicle cyst (or removal of the epididymis of the testicle) or sclerotherapy. In rare cases, a puncture method is used for the treatment of testicular cysts.
Removal of a testicle cyst, according to doctors, is a time-tested and very reliable way to get rid of this pathology. The operation with the testicle cyst is performed under local anesthesia or general anesthesia: above the cyst the scrotum is cut, the cyst is removed, and the wound is sutured layer by layer. On the scrotum is applied a gauze bandage, ice, and a supporting bandage (suspensions). To prevent postoperative inflammation, antibiotics and physical activity for two weeks are prescribed. By the way, before the operation with a testicle cyst, doctors warn patients about the probability of their infertility in the future.
In addition to open surgical intervention, laparoscopy is used to remove the testicle cyst, as well as to remove the epididymis cyst, which is much less traumatic, shorter and less risky in terms of postoperative complications.
Sclerotherapy is an alternative to the removal of a method of treating testicular cysts, but less effective. With sclerotherapy using a syringe, the contents of the cyst cavity are removed, and a special chemical composition is introduced instead. As a result of the chemical reaction, the tissues lining the inner walls of the cyst are destroyed, and the walls are sclerosed, that is, "glued together". In the same way, the spermatic cord can be damaged in the same way, and this causes a male infertility.
The puncture method of treatment of the testicles of the testis differs from sclerotherapy by the fact that after removing the fluid from the cyst cavity, nothing is introduced there. Despite the simplicity of the procedure, the effect of it is temporary, since there is a high probability of repeated refilling of the cyst with serous fluid. In addition, according to doctors, each subsequent puncture represents a serious threat to the damage of testicles and epididymis.
It should be noted that the treatment of cysts of the epididymis is similar to the treatment of cysts of the testicle - surgical excision of the cyst or sclerotherapy.
The testicle cyst in a child, which can appear in adolescent boys, quite often after the end of the puberty period can spontaneously disappear. However, cysts of the epididymis with a size of more than 1.5 cm are recommended for specialists to remove.
Treatment of testicular cyst by alternative means
Treatment of the testicle cyst by alternative means, considering that there is no drug therapy for this disease, seems very ... Problematic. Nevertheless, there are two plants that can help in the fight against this pathology. This is Iceland moss and kelp.
Icelandic moss (Icelandic cetrarium) contains a lot of iodine, and preparations based on it have antiseptic properties, for example, sodium usyninate. And from the dry lichen prepare a decoction: 200 grams of boiling water take 10 g of the crushed plant, boil for 5-10 minutes, insist half an hour and take 3 times a day for a third of the glass.
Sea cabbage (kelp), in addition to iodine, contains a polysaccharide - alginic acid, which removes heavy metals and radionuclides from the body, and its derivative sodium alginate has pronounced antitumour properties. In addition, the biologically active substances of kelp regulate fat metabolism in the body, suppressing the metabolism of plant sterols. This reduces the risk of formation in the skin and other tissues of all kinds of pathological accumulations. And doctors knowingly recommend laminaria to men who have problems with the prostate gland, for example, prostatitis and prostate adenoma.
So when diagnosing a testicle cyst, the use of kelp is clearly meaningless. It should be drunk once a day - before going to bed, stirring a teaspoon of powder or sea kale pellets in 100 ml of water.