Other Treatment options
There are treatment options for hydrocele other than surgery. They are needle aspiration and aspiration with injection of a sclerosing agent.
The simplest method of treatment is needle aspiration. For this procedure, a small injection of local anesthetic is made into the skin of the scrotum. A needle is passed into the hydrocele through the anesthetized area and the fluid is removed. However the fluid recollects within a short time, hence it is not advocated routinely.
In aspiration with injection of a sclerosing agent, a drug that can initiate some inflammation of the sac and cause adhesions (called sclerosing agent) is injected after the fluid has been fully aspirated. This method sometimes can stop the fluid re accumulating but long-term success is not very high. Aspiration and injection may be an option for men who have risk factors that make surgery more dangerous. Risks of this procedure include infection and scrotal pain.
