If the testicle has torn, it can be repaired if it has good blood supply and the other testicle has enough of its cover. Under anesthesia, a cut is made in the scrotum and the contents are checked. If any imaging study suggests testicular injury, the usual course of action is surgery. Your urologists may ask for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a more sophisticated imaging technique. In rare cases, the ultrasound leaves more questions than answers. Though no imaging test is 100% perfect, ultrasound is easy to do, uses no X-rays, and clearly shows the structure of the scrotum. Based on the same sonar sound waves that guide submarines, this device can safely image parts of the sac, including the testicle, epididymis and spermatic cord, to check the blood flow. Ultrasound uses sound waves bouncing off organs to make a picture of what's inside your body. If it's not clear if injury has occurred, your urologist may ask for a scrotal ultrasound scan. You'll also be told to wear a jock strap to support the scrotum. If all seem normal with no injury, your urologist will likely give you pain meds, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. He/she will also feel the structures that run into the testicle-the artery, vein and vas deferens-to make sure they're normal. It's often easy for your urologist to feel the tough testicle cover, as well as the thin, soft epididymis. After asking questions about how the injury occurred, as well as other questions about your health, he/she will look at your scrotum. Your urologist can often figure out how bad the injury to the testicle is with a physical exam. But tumors found late often need drawn-out treatment with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Testicular cancer caught early can often be cured. Even if you think this is a simple bruise, it's a medical emergency. Many men don't notice the painless, solid lump bulging from the smooth testicular cover until they have a reason to look. Though not linked to the injury, a large number of testicular tumors are found after minor injuries when men are more likely to carefully check their testicles.
Testicular trauma is when a testicle is hurt by force. But the epididymis has a thin, fragile coating, and so is at higher risk for swelling or injury. The vas deferens is covered by a thick muscle wall.
Sperm stop briefly in the epididymis to mature before mixing with semen and leaving through a tube (the vas deferens) that joins with the urethra. In the epididymis, thousands of sperm-making ducts from the testicle join to form a single coiled tube. Sperm cells are made in the testicle and travel to the epididymis, a rubbery gland along the back of the testicle. Each testicle is encased in a tough, fibrous cover (the tunica albuginea) that protects it.
They're in the scrotum, the skin sac that hangs below the penis. The testicles are 2 male organs that make sperm and male hormones. Timely evaluation and proper treatment are critical for the best outcomes. This makes it easier for the testicles to be struck, hit, kicked, or crushed. Because they're in the scrotum, which hangs outside the body, they don't have muscles and bones to protect them like most organs have. The testicles are vital for reproduction and normal male hormones.