Grey-scale and Doppler ultrasound of normal testes and extratesticular structures--a pictorial review.

Recent advances in ultrasound technology has led to the development of high resolution transducers, typically 7 to 10 MHZ, with grey-scale, pulsed wave duplex Doppler, colour Doppler and even power Doppler capabilities. Computed tomography, scintigraphy and magnetic resonance may be used to image the testis, but ultrasound is the most sensitive imaging modality available for demonstration of scrotal contents. Ultrasound has the additional advantages that it is relatively cheap and widely available, and does not involve the use of ionizing radiation. Real time grey-scale ultrasound provides good cross-sectional images, whilst pulsed Doppler and colour Doppler ultrasound provide quantitative and directional information on vascular flow within the testis. We have presented a pictorial review of normal findings encountered in sonographic imaging of several testes, as well as anatomical variants, and emphasized the importance of their recognition using various ultrasound techniques. We have also briefly reviewed ways of optimizing the images obtained from ultrasound scanners.