Incarceration or strangulation of an associated hernia may occur. Surgical complications Accidental injury to the vas deferens can occur during inguinal surgery for hydrocele. Postoperative hemorrhagic hydrocele is not uncommon, but it usually resolves spontaneously. Direct injury to the spermatic vessels may occur. The prognosis for congenital hydrocele is excellent.
Most congenital cases resolve by the end of the first year of life.
Persistent congenital hydrocele is readily corrected surgically. The prognosis of hydrocele presenting later in life depends upon the etiology of the hydrocele. Adult-onset hydrocele is not uncommonly associated with an underlying malignancy. Emphasize the importance of timely follow-up care. In a patient with signs and symptoms of an acute scrotum, the presence of a hydrocele and a finding of positive transilluminance do not rule out a testicular torsion.