Loading...
Fluctuating hydroceles in infants are often surgically repaired soon after discovery. To reevaluate this practice, pediatric urologists at a single center retrospectively reviewed the natural history of communicating hydroceles in 174 infant boys (age, <18 months). Average age at diagnosis was 2.3 months, 28% of infants were born prematurely, and 120 infants had bilateral hydroceles.
Among 110 infants who were followed until resolution or surgical repair, 69 (63%) had complete resolution of the hydrocele by a mean of 9 months of follow-up (mean age at resolution, 11 months). Two of these patients had recurrences about 4 months after resolution and required surgery. Bilateral hydroceles were significantly more likely to resolve than unilatera…