A prospective evaluation of scrotal ultrasonography in clinical practice

OBJECTIVES: To prospectively evaluate scrotal ultrasonography (SUS) in patients presenting with scrotal symptoms and to make recommendations about use of SUS in clinical practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-eight men with scrotal symptoms were examined by a urologist and independently underwent SUS by one radiologist with no knowledge of the clinical diagnosis. The clinical and SUS diagnoses were compared and the effect on subsequent management recorded. RESULTS: The clinical and SUS diagnoses agreed in 35 men (73%) although SUS provided an additional diagnosis in half of these men. The SUS diagnosis differed in 13 men (27%) although the management was altered in only four patients. CONCLUSION: The clinical diagnosis is correct in most men with scrotal symptoms; the routine use of SUS is inappropriate and should be reserved for specific indications.