Is routine scrotal ultrasound advantageous in infertile men?

Purpose: We determine the value of routine scrotal ultrasonography in the e valuation of male infertility. Materials and Methods: Scrotal color Doppler ultrasonography reports of 1,3 72 infertile men were reviewed to assess the prevalence of scrotal abnormal ities and compared to clinical findings. Results: The prevalence of scrotal abnormalities was 38%. Testicular tumor was found in 0.5%, varicocele in 29.7%, testicular cyst in 0.7%, testicular microlithiasis in 0.9%, epididymal cyst in 7.6% and hydrocele in 3.2% of t he cases. Overall, 67% of sonography findings were not evident on palpation , and only 1 of 7 testicular tumors was suspected. Of the varicoceles 60% w ere not found on physical examination. The rate of testicular tumors (1/200 ) was higher than that reported for the general European population (1/20,0 00). Conclusions: Routine scrotal ultrasound provides valuable information in th e diagnostic evaluation of infertile men and substantially more pathologica l conditions are detected compared to clinical palpation. The high prevalen ce of testicular malignancies underlines the clinical relevance of routine scrotal ultrasonography in infertile men.