Get immediate medical treatment if you or your child develops sudden, severe scrotal pain or swelling, especially within several hours of an injury to the scrotum. A hydrocele can start before your son is born. His testicles grow inside his belly and then move down into his scrotum through a short tunnel.
A sac of fluid goes with each testicle. The doctor may be able to make the size of the sac bigger or smaller by . In both boys and girls, this tunnel and its lining are supposed to seal off prior to the baby being born.
This trapped fluid is called a non-communicating hydrocele. Sometimes the tunnel closes down but does not close completely. Due to the canal being open, the fluid is able to travel back and forth through the canal. When the sac does not close, the hydrocele is called communicating or open.
You might notice that the hydrocele looks smaller early in the day and larger in the evening. If your child also has a hernia then this will usually be corrected in the same operation. This may be due to your child being . The operation for a hydrocele involves making a very small cut in the lower tummy (abdomen) or the scrotum.
The fluid is then drained from around the testicle (testis).
