Comparative study of Sclerotherapy with Phenol and Surgical Treatment for Hydrocoele at The University Teaching Hospital

This study was carried out to study the efficacy and short term outcome of sclerotherapy with phenol, to study its complications and compare it to hydrocoelectomy for the treatment of hydroceles at the UTH. The study was carried out over a period of 12 months starting in August 2003.The details of the technique used and patient selection are described. Fifty patients with hydrocele were recruited into the study. Thirty-five patients had undergone sclerotherapy and fifteen hydrocelectomy. The age range was 24 - 84 years (mean 65 years). The cause was not known in all of them and cytology and ultrasound of the testes were normal. The average duration of the hydrocele was 30 months ranging from 1 - 264 months. The most frequent was 24 months. The right side was affected 47.1% "of cases and the left 52.9%. Complications were infection in 12.5% of cases and recurrence 87.5%. There was no recurrence in 19 patients, which accounted for 59.4%. Fifteen patients underwent hydrocelectomy and in the short term (8 months) there were no recurrences.