Insufficiency of the Lymph Vascular System of the Testis

Different situations, some congenital and others acquired, are involved in hindering the drainage of fluid from the vaginal cavity or from the paratesticular structures. The composition of the accumulated fluid changes over time with, among other things, the concentrations of proteins, albumin, and calcium increasing, thus contributing to making their reabsorption more difficult as time goes by. Insufficiency of the lymphatic vascular system in the testis produces two different situations which are discussed in this chapter. Accumulation in the vaginal cavity gives rise to a hydrocele, while obstruction to the lymphatic drainage of the collectors at any level between the testicle and the retroperitoneal lymph nodes, often associated with infectious processes, leads to scrotal elephantiasis.