Hydrocele among Patients undergoing Surgery in the Department of Surgery in a Tertiary Care Center: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Hydrocele, an accumulation of serous fluid within the remnant of the processus vaginalis, is a common cause of painless scrotal enlargement. While prevalent, few studies have been conducted to assess the extent and risk factors of hydrocele in Nepal. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of hydrocele among patients undergoing the surgery department at a tertiary care center in Nepal.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care center. Data were retrospectively collected from medical records over one year (2021 July to 2022 June), including all patients undergoing surgery in the general surgery department. Ethical Approval was received from the Institutional Review Committee of the same institute (Reference number: 820/2080/81) Cases of hydrocele surgery were identified, and relevant data were extracted using a structured proforma. Descriptive analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel 2016.

Results: Out of 1812 surgeries, 95 (9.72%) were hydrocele surgeries. Of these, 94 (98.95%) were non-communicating hydroceles, 79 (83.16%) were unilateral, and 90 (94.74%) showed positive transillumination tests. The mean age of patients was 50.84 ± 17.02 years, with the highest number of cases in the 46-55 age group (20%). Postoperative complications occurred in 19 (20%) patients, with seroma and surgical site infection being the most common (31.58% each).

Conclusions: Hydrocele surgeries comprised a significant portion (5.24%) of surgical cases at the tertiary care center, with the majority being non-communicating and unilateral types.