Current problems in diagnostic radiology
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Scrotal pathology in pediatrics ranges from the more benign hydrocele and varicocele to acute testicular torsion requiring emergent surgery. Malignant testicular tumors can be insidious in onset or may present acutely when trauma brings a swollen scrotum to the patient's or physician's attention. Three common conditions can present as an acute scrotum, all of which can suggest testicular torsion clinically. ⋯ Doppler technology has tremendously increased the radiologist's ability to assess flow within the prepubertal testicle, which allows assessment of viability in the undescended testis as well as in neonatal torsion. The ability of ultrasound to diagnose the pathogenesis of the acute scrotum is unsurpassed by any other imaging modality. Ultrasound is a readily available, noninvasive examination without radiation that provides excellent anatomic detail and serves as an important and tremendously helpful imaging modality in all types of pediatric scrotal pathology.