Pavlica P, Ramini R, Barozzi L
Servizio di Radiologia, Ospedale S. Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna.
Radiol Med. 1994 Apr;87(4):493-7.
Tubular ectasia of the seminiferous tubules of the rete testis is an uncommon benign condition which was only recently described. Its US pattern is typical and allows the disease to be distinguished from cystic tumors of the testicle. The condition was evaluated with US in 10 patients; all men were over 50 years old. US was performed with a 7.5-MHz linear probe. The lesion was unilateral in 7 and bilateral in 3 patients. It was always localized in the mediastinum testis and was associated with spermatocele in 5 cases and with testicular cysts in 4. On US scans, the condition presented with several tubular or rounded anechoic structures, mimicking a hypoechoic mass. In 5 men with 4-19 months' follow-up, no change in lesion size and structure was observed. Tubular ectasia was never assessed with biopsy or histology. Tubular ectasia of the rete testis shares several US features with testicular cysts and spermatocele, which are likely to have the same underlying mechanisms. This benign condition can be distinguished from true cysts and testicular tumors on the basis of US findings and its differential diagnosis is important to avoid unnecessary surgery.
睾丸网生精小管的管状扩张是一种罕见的良性疾病，直到最近才被描述。其超声表现具有典型性，可使该疾病与睾丸囊性肿瘤相鉴别。对10例患者进行了超声评估；所有男性均超过50岁。使用7.5兆赫线性探头进行超声检查。病变在7例患者中为单侧，3例为双侧。病变总是位于睾丸纵隔，5例与精子囊肿相关，4例与睾丸囊肿相关。在超声扫描中，该疾病表现为几个管状或圆形无回声结构，类似低回声肿块。在5例随访4至19个月的男性中，未观察到病变大小和结构的变化。从未对管状扩张进行活检或组织学评估。睾丸网的管状扩张与睾丸囊肿和精子囊肿具有一些共同的超声特征，它们可能具有相同的潜在机制。根据超声检查结果，这种良性疾病可与真性囊肿和睾丸肿瘤相鉴别，其鉴别诊断对于避免不必要的手术很重要。
