| Discussion: Usually detected incidentally and most often occurring in men at least 40 years of age, simple cysts vary in size from 2 mm to 2 cm. These cysts are usually solitary but can also be multiple. They are located adjacent to the mediastinum testis and are associated with extratesticular spermatoceles. At US, they appear with an anechoic center and through-transmission and without a perceptible wall. Suspected causes of intratesticular cysts include trauma, surgery, and prior inflammation. They do not require treatment.
Their size is variable and can range from 2 mm to 2 cm in diameter. The cysts are usually solitary, but they can be multiple. Simple cysts can occur anywhere in the testis but are often near the mediastinum testis and are associated with extratesticular spermatoceles. Simple testicular cysts are usually not palpable and, even when large, are not firm. This latter characteristic distinguishes them from tunica albuginea cysts, which are very firm, even when small. At US, simple cysts have an imperceptible wall, an anechoic center, and through transmission. Hamm et al stress the importance of palpability and claim that palpable intratesticular cysts should be removed. This recommendation would include simple cysts if they were palpable.
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TESTICULAR CYST
