Causes and treatment of edema of the testicles in newborns

This is quite often a registered disease. About every 10 newborn babies have this pathology. Specific markers of the disease begin to be detected in children in the first days of life.

What is dropsy of the testicles in newborns?

In boys, this pathology can be found both on the left and on the right testicle. Also, this process can be bilateral. Many different factors and causes lead to the development of this state. Dr. Komarovsky, a well-known pediatrician, believes that congenital disease is most characteristic of babies. When dropsy forms excessive accumulation of secretion between all the membranes of the testicle. Usually in the normal between the membranes that cover the internal genital organs, there is a small amount of lubricant. This ensures the normal operation of the sex glands.

In the case of a pathological state, these processes are disturbed, and a lot of fluid is formed. This pathology is called dropsy.

According to statistics, 70% of babies have this disease in a mild form, children, as a rule, fully recover.

However, in other cases, dropsy of the testicles can cause adverse effects. In adulthood, they can lead to problems with reproductive function and even cause infertility.

The main causes of dropsy

All the reasons that can lead to the emergence of dropsy in newborns are divided into several categories. This division allows doctors to determine the cause of the disease as accurately as possible, and therefore, to choose the optimal treatment regimen.

The development of this condition in infants leads to:

1. Infections that mom suffered when carrying a child. Pathogens easily penetrate the placental barrier. In case of contact with the child through the placenta, they can cause infectious inflammation, as well as the development of anomalies and defects of the fetus.
2. The birth of a child in the early stages. Premature babies show numerous pathologies in the structure and functioning of the male genital organs, for the reason that it is in the third trimester of pregnancy that the final formation of the male glands occurs. During the development of the child in the womb, the testicles descend from the abdominal cavity to the groin. At the birth of a child in earlier periods, male genital organs are not yet completely formed.
3. Various effects or damage during childbirth. Such injuries are recorded during natural childbirth, especially when carrying a large fetus. Pelvic presentation of the fetus and active labor can cause damage.
4. Heredity. According to scientists, in families where the congenital forms of dropsy of the testicles are recorded, children suffering from this disease are born more often. To date, the exact genes that encode the hereditary relationship have not yet been established, but there are many different scientific theories confirming that the fact of heredity is the place to be.
5. Anatomical defects. Pathologies that lead to increased intra-abdominal pressure can cause an accumulation of excess fluid between the membranes of the testicles. Often this pathology occurs during fetal development. Also contribute to the development of dropsy of the testicles and abdominal wall defects.
6. Traumatic injuries. Often they appear in the event of improper handling of the child. For example, the fall of the baby on the floor even from a small height can cause injury to the external genital organs and even internal bleeding. This form of pathology is called acquired because it occurs after the birth of the child.
7. Diseases of the genitourinary system. Congenital testicular torsion, a defect in the structure of the genital organs, a cleft of the duct between the abdominal cavity and the scrotum region can all cause the development of testicular edema. A prolonged course of urological pathologies also contributes to the disruption of the formation and outflow of fluid.
8. Neoplasm. The fast-growing tumor is the cause of the violation of the development and functioning of the organs of the urogenital system. In most cases, processes that occur in the intestines and lymph nodes lead to this condition. Most often, dropsy in this case is two-way.

Main types of pathology

Types of dropsy can be different, it all depends on the mechanism of damage and the presence of defects. If the physiological structure of the genital organs is disturbed, there may be accumulation of excess fluid between the membranes of the testes. At the moment, urologists distinguish the following types of dropsy in newborns:

1. Reported Normally, there should be no communication between the scrotum and the abdominal cavity. If the hole that connects these areas is not overgrown, fluid may leak in the area of ​​the external genitalia. This condition is often innate.
2. Isolated In this case, the process is considered one-sided, that is, one testicle is affected. All clinical signs occur only on the injured side. This form of the disease is quite common.

When making a diagnosis, doctors also make a note about when exactly the pathology occurred. If the disease was formed during the period of intrauterine development, it is called congenital. In the case of traumatic injuries, neoplasms and other arising conditions, we can speak of an acquired disease.

Also, doctors distinguish the following clinical forms of pathology:

1. Spicy It is registered in babies in the first days of life. In the case of adequate therapy, this form does not become chronic. For recovery requires timely diagnosis and selection of the correct treatment tactics.
2. Chronic. It is characterized by stepwise appearance of symptoms. Requires regular monitoring by a doctor. Children with a chronic form of dropsy should be monitored by urologists regularly. In the case of a protracted pathology, surgery is required.

Main symptoms

To suspect dropsy of the testicles, it is enough just to carefully examine the child. Any changes are especially noticeable during daily hygiene procedures. Any deviations from the norm should push the parents to consult a specialist. For dropsy of the testicles are most often characterized by symptoms such as:

1. Scrotal enlargement. At the same time, it may increase by two to three times. In the case of unilateral pathology, the scrotum becomes asymmetrical, which is easily noticed at home.
2. Redness of the skin. Normally, the skin in the scrotum has a dark brown shade, but in the case of dropsy, it becomes red. You can also feel that the skin on the testicles becomes several times hot to the touch.
3. Soreness The pain most often occurs during active movements, after hot baths, after urination. However, to track these symptoms in newborns is very difficult. But we must try to pay attention to how the child behaves after urination.
4. Excessive mobility of the skin of the scrotum. Due to the excessive accumulation of fluid gliding of the membranes of the testicles relative to each other is also accelerated. In addition, in severe cases, pain in the intimate area may join.
5. Change in appearance. If fluid enters the cavity of the inguinal canal, the scrotum becomes an hourglass. However, this symptom is often detected by urologists when examining a child.
6. Deterioration of general well-being. Children are becoming more capricious. However, in the mild form of the disease, the child’s behavior remains almost unchanged. A severe form is accompanied by a rise in temperature of up to +38 degrees or more, and there may be a disturbance in appetite and sleep.

Diagnostics

The light course of this pathology can remain undetected for a long time. Local pediatricians rarely detect the first clinical signs of the disease in a timely manner, since the child’s well-being does not change at all. Only an attentive and sensitive attitude of parents to the child can help diagnose the disease in a timely manner. If you suspect the presence of the first signs of dropsy, be sure to show the child to the urologist or andrologist. The doctor will conduct a clinical examination, will appoint an examination, the results of which will be able to make a diagnosis.

For additional diagnostics apply techniques such as:

1. Ultrasound scrotal testicles. This method will allow not only to establish the presence of free fluid, but also to determine its quantity. Such a study is safe and painless for a child. For a correct diagnosis, 10-15 minutes is enough. The method is quite informative and has been successfully used in pediatric urological practice for many years.
2. Diaphanoscopy. This study will help to investigate the outer surface of the testicles with a special lamp, thus, doctors detect the presence of pathological fluid. The method is also safe and informative, does not cause pain in the child.

What are the effects of dropsy?

The prognosis of this disease is usually favorable, in 80% of cases after treatment, full recovery occurs. For this, a very important role is played by timely diagnosis and proper treatment. Optimally selected therapy will completely eliminate the adverse symptoms. Even in adulthood, boys will not have any abnormalities in reproductive function.

Prolonged squeezing of the testicles leads to persistent hypoxia - oxygen starvation of the organs, which, in turn, can lead to disruption of spermatogenesis. This process leads to the formation of non-viable sperm. Also, chronic hydropsy contributes to the development of associated urinary tract diseases. A prolonged course of the disease can cause an inguinal hernia, which will require surgical treatment.

How to treat dropsy in a newborn?

Depending on how the pathology proceeds, whether it progresses, the doctor selects the appropriate treatment methods. If the disease is declining, treatment may be conservative. However, if the disease brings discomfort to the newborn, causes the doctor's concerns, then it is impossible to do without surgical intervention.

Surgery

There are several types of surgery:

1. Operation Ross. It is carried out if dropsy is interconnected.
2. The operation of Bergman is performed under general anesthesia, during which part of the inner lining of the testicle is removed, then blood is stopped and pressure bandages are applied. This operation is carried out in the case when the situation is really serious and dangerous.
3. The operation of the Lord is carried out in such a way that the testicle is not removed into the wound. There is a dissection of the shell of the testicle and the elimination of the aqueous fluid. This operation is also performed under local anesthesia.

Depending on how the disease develops further and what the test results show, the doctor will choose the option of surgery that will be most appropriate for the situation.

However, it must be remembered that newborns are very difficult to tolerate such surgical interventions, so parents need to be prepared for the fact that the postoperative period will have such consequences as disturbances in sleep and feeding.

Conservative treatment

They will help to cure this pathology without surgical methods. As a conservative method, you must use: massage, ointment (for example, Vishnevsky or Levomekol ointment), drug therapy. But also conservative treatment is in compliance with sleep patterns, proper nutrition, systematic testing, frequent walks in the fresh air.

Also, newborns may be assigned gymnastic procedures that must be performed necessarily. If the examination by a urologist shows a positive development of the disease, it is likely that by one and a half years it will be possible to get rid of this problem.

Traditional methods of treatment

It is important to remember that traditional methods of treatment must be coordinated with your doctor so as not to harm the child. Treatment of dropsy folk remedies:

1. Washing the urinary system with Furatsilina. To do this, dilute the drug with water in the ratio of one to three, treat the genitals with a cotton pad.
2. Bathing the newborn in the bath with a decoction of a string or chamomile. This procedure is useful not only for skin and sleep, it allows you to disinfect the organs of the urogenital system and prevent the development of infection.
3. Broth oak bark with milk.
4. Bath of calendula. This plant also has healing properties and is very useful for the child.
5. Before bedtime, it is necessary to thoroughly wipe the genitals with Miramistin's solution, after which the child should be left naked.

It is also recommended to observe the following recommendations: as often as possible, hold the child without a diaper, quickly change wet diapers.

However, remember that treatment only with folk remedies can cause the disease to become chronic. In addition, after the manipulation of the child may experience a persistent allergic reaction. Therefore, it is necessary to treat the dropsy of the testicles in a child only with the obligatory participation of a specialist.

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