Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis in a patient with giant hydrocele

Our plain-English summary of Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis in a patient with giant hydrocele, by C.S. Montón, J.F. Esparza, A.B. Ventura, et al (Radiologia Brasileira, 2016).

The study

• Authors: C.S. Montón, J.F. Esparza, A.B. Ventura, M.M. Izquierdo, P.A. Plaza, M.H. Polo
• Journal: Radiologia Brasileira
• Published: 2016;49(1):63-4
• Cited by: 4 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

In plain English

This letter to the editor reported a single case from a university hospital in Salamanca, Spain. It described an 82-year-old man who came to the emergency department with pain and enlargement of his left scrotal sac, which had been growing progressively for more than 20 years. He did not report any exposure to asbestos. Ultrasound showed a left hydrocele (a fluid collection in the scrotum) of about 1100 mL. A CT scan showed nodular thickening of the tunica vaginalis, the membrane lining the scrotal sac, and a changed structure of the left testis. Before surgery, the masses were interpreted as a paratesticular fibrous pseudotumor. After his blood pressure fell, he had emergency removal of the left testis with drainage of an abscess. Tissue examination diagnosed malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, which had spread into the testis and nearby structures, including the epididymis. At the time of writing he was receiving chemotherapy. The authors concluded that this rare tumor should be included among the possible diagnoses of masses next to the testis.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: case report (letter to the editor)
• Who was studied: One 82-year-old man seen at a hospital emergency department; the authors are from the Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Salamanca, Spain
• Exposure: The patient did not report any exposure to asbestos. He had a long-standing hydrocele, with scrotal enlargement progressing over more than 20 years
• Main results:
  • Ultrasound showed a left hydrocele of approximately 1100 mL in volume
  • CT showed nodular thickening of the tunica vaginalis and a diffuse alteration of the left testis
  • Before surgery, the paratesticular masses were interpreted as a paratesticular fibrous pseudotumor
  • After cardiovascular instability (arterial pressure of 85/53 mmHg), the patient had emergency left orchiectomy with surgical drainage of the abscess
  • Pathology diagnosed malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis
  • The tumor infiltrated the tunica vaginalis, the testicular tissue and other paratesticular structures (epididymis and rete testis)
  • Immunohistochemistry was positive for calretinin, WT1, CK7, EMA and p53
  • At the time of writing, the patient was receiving chemotherapy as adjuvant treatment
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis, though rare, should be included in the differential diagnosis of paratesticular lesions

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Tunica Vaginalis, Hydrocele.

Related studies

• Pre-operative diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis by hydrocele fluid cytology — S.C. Gupta, A.K. Gupta, et al. (1998)
• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis: presenting with intermittent scrotal pain and hydrocele — T. Esen, O. Acar, et al. (2012)
• Hydrocele with a surprise: Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis - Case report and review of literature — P.N. Maheshwari, O.O. Abiola, et al. (2017)
• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: A rare cause of hydrocele — M. de Sá Barrêto Callou Peixoto, M.K. Bernardo Soares, et al. (2022)
• Malignant Epithelioid Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis Testis Presenting as Hydrocele in a Kidney Transplant Recipient — B.M. Behers, C.W. Guske, et al. (2024)
• When a hydrocele is more than a hydrocele: Warning symptoms and signs of malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis — J. Cornfield, M. Lee, et al. (2026)

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