Clinical Reference Systems: Pediatric Advisor 10.0
Hydrocele: Discharge Instructions
What is a hydrocele?
A hydrocele is a collection of fluid in the scrotum, the sac
that holds the testicle. Your child's scrotum may look
larger on one side or may appear very swollen. This is
caused by a build-up of fluid. This build-up of fluid
occurs fairly frequently in male newborns. Usually the
fluid will be absorbed by the body during the first year of
life.
Sometimes the hydrocele is connected by an open channel to
the belly. This open channel allows fluid to continue to
flow into the scrotum. This type of hydrocele needs to be
fixed with an operation. If your baby is older than 1 year
and still has a large hydrocele, or if your doctor has told
you that your baby has a communicating hydrocele or an
inguinal hernia, your baby will need an operation.
What happens during the surgery?
The surgery to fix a hydrocele is a minor procedure that is
done in day surgery and takes about 1 and 1/2 hours. Your
child will not need to stay overnight at the hospital. Your
child will be given general anesthesia and will be asleep
for the procedure. A small cut is made in your baby's
groin area and the doctor closes the open channel.
Your doctor may want to look at the other scrotal channel to
see if it has closed properly. This can usually be done with
a laparoscope, a telescopelike instrument. Your doctor
will discuss this with you before the operation. Once your
child is awake and able to drink fluids, he can go home.
Discharge Instructions After Surgery
- Care of Incision
After surgery, your child will have a small incision in
the groin on the side(s) operated on. The incision was
closed under the skin using stitches that dissolve on
their own and don't need to be removed. On the skin
there are strips of tape or skin glue to help the skin
heal smoothly with minimal scarring. These will peel
off in 5 to 10 days. Don't pull them off.
There may be bruising in the groin around the incision
and bruising and swelling in the scrotum. This is
normal and will go away in 1 to 2 weeks. The incision
does not require any special care. You may want to
avoid clothing that fits snugly over this area. You can
use a small gauze bandage to protect the incision from
being irritated by clothes if that is more comfortable.
- Pain Control
Your child may need medicine the first few days after
surgery for pain control.
Your child's pain medicine is ______________________.
Give __________ every ______ hours as needed.
- Activity
Children will limit their activity if they are
uncomfortable. Your child may resume his normal
activities whenever he feels ready. School-age children
may miss 3 to 4 days of school. Your child should not
ride on straddle toys or bicycles for a week. Rough
play should also be avoided for several days.
- Bathing
Your child may bathe immediately. Baths help the area
heal and make the sore area feel better.
- Diet
Your child may eat what he wants. Encourage your child
to drink fluids.
- Additional Instructions
- _______________________________________________________
- _______________________________________________________
- _______________________________________________________
- Follow-up Appointment After Discharge
Your child needs to be rechecked and has an appointment
on ______________ at ________ o'clock with
_______________________.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Your child has pain that is not controlled by pain
medicines.
- Your child has a fever greater than 101ƒF (38.3ƒC).
- Your child has any bleeding from the wound not stopped by
5 minutes of direct pressure.
- Your child has pus draining from the wound or a large red
area around the wound.
- Your child has not urinated in a 12-hour period.
|