Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Pathology pp 1–2Cite as

Spermatocele

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

  • 20 Accesses

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Pathology ((EP))

Definition

Cystic dilatation of the efferent ductules of the rete testis or epididymis.

Clinical Features

  • Incidence

    It is a common condition, and it’s found by chance in 30% of men who undertake ultrasonography for other reasons.

  • Age

    It affects mainly young adult/adult males (20–50 years old).

  • Presentation

    It presents as an ovoid, soft, palpable mass, usually asymptomatic. It may become large and displace the testis.

  • Treatment

    A surgical solution is required only in selected cases, such as the persistence of the symptoms or the necessity of ruling out a paratesticular neoplasm.

  • Outcome

    It is a benign condition and the prognosis is excellent.

Macroscopy

Once removed, it appears as a collapsed membrane of a unilocular or multilocular cyst.

Microscopy

The wall of the cyst is lined by a single layer of cuboidal or flat epithelial cells, sometimes ciliated. The epithelial lining may form papillary projections lined by benign cells. The cyst contains proteinaceous fluid and spermatozoa. In...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References and Further Reading

  • Lane, Z., & Epstein, J. I. (2010). Small blue cells mimicking small cell carcinoma in spermatocele and hydrocele specimens: A report of 5 cases. Human Pathology, 41(1), 88–93.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yeh, H.-C., Wang, C.-J., et al. (2007). Giant Spermatocele mimicking hydrocele: A case report. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, 23(7), 366–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Histopathology and Molecular Diagnostics, University Hospital Careggi, Florence, Italy

    Caterina Fattorini & Maria Rosaria Raspollini

  2. Pathology Service, Champalimaud Clinical Center, Lisbon, Portugal

    Antonio Lopez-Beltran

  3. Unit of Anatomic Pathology, Department of Surgery, Cordoba University Medical School, Cordoba, Spain

    Antonio Lopez-Beltran

Authors
  1. Caterina Fattorini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Antonio Lopez-Beltran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Maria Rosaria Raspollini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Rosaria Raspollini .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. NIJMEGEN, The Netherlands

    J.H.J.M. van Krieken

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Fattorini, C., Lopez-Beltran, A., Raspollini, M.R. (2019). Spermatocele. In: van Krieken, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pathology. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_4949-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_4949-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28845-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28845-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation