Ultrasonography as a diagnostic adjunct for the evaluation of masses in the scrotum.

One hundred and twenty-four patients underwent prospective preoperative examination of the scrotum with an advanced, commercial B-mode imaging system. There was reliable distinction between simple hydrocele and complex fluid collections. Particular attention was directed toward the problem of neoplastic disease mimicking, or masked by, clinical features of inflammatory disease. There were no false-negative results. Twenty-two patients were suspected of having a tumor of the testis upon ultrasonic examination; 19 were proved to have tumor. In only three patients were the diagnosis indeterminate. A high degree of correlation existed between the ultrasound and surgical and clinical confirmation. Ultrasound is a safe, simple, expeditious adjunct to improve the clinical diagnosis of masses within the scrotum.