The ultrasound would tell you if there was any obvious recurrence, infection, or hydrocele. If your testicle was descended as a child, the testicle itself will seek a dependent position in the scrotum. If you had a large varicocele, the blood vessels that you once thought were the testicle, may now be reduced, and make you believe that the testicle is in a different position or smaller. A varicocele is an abnormal dilation of the pampiniform plexus of veins surrounding the testis. They are more common on the left but can occur bilaterally.
Varicoceles are usually asymptomatic however as they become larger, they can cause pain.
Prophylactic varicocelectomy in an adolescents and adults with grossly normal testes has not been shown to have a positive effect upon either future testicular development or fertility. There are three commonly used surgical approaches to perform a varicocelectomy, an extraperitoneal approach, the inguinal approach and the subinguinal approach. The later two procedures allow for both ligation of the internal and external spermatic veins to prevent recurrence. A fourth option which has gained some popularity as an alternative to surgery is the percutaneous approach. This involves catheterization of the femoral vein.