Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It IsPurposeHow to PrepareWhat to ExpectRecovery
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What It Is
Purpose
How to Prepare
What to Expect
Recovery
Testicular surgery is used for the treatment of structural conditions affecting thetesticles(also called testes). Issues such as misshapen testes, epididymis cancer, ortesticular cancerare usually corrected surgically. A variety of surgical interventions can be used to repair and remove abnormalities involving the testicles. The aim of these procedures is to prevent complications, such as the spread of cancer, and to attain or maintain fertility.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See PhotoGaiBru_Photo/Getty Images
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photo
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
GaiBru_Photo/Getty Images
What Is Testicular Surgery?
Testicular surgery is a type of operation in which a congenital (from birth) or acquired testicular problem is surgically fixed.
A small incision in or near thescrotum, the sac that holds the testicles, is required. The procedure often involves the spermatic cord (a structure containing thevas deferens, the tube that carries sperm, and blood vessels) orepididymis(a coiled tube that stores sperm). In some circumstances, anorchiectomy(complete removal of a testicle) may be necessary.
Typically, aurologist—a surgeon specialized in surgery of the urinary and male reproductive systems—would perform the operation. They may choose to directly access the areas that need to be removed or repaired with an open procedure. Or the procedure could be donelaparoscopically, using a minimally invasive surgical method that’s done with the assistance of camera-equipped surgical tools.
You will likely havegeneral anesthesiafor pain control during your testicular surgery.
Contraindications
Testicular surgery is not considered an option if your issue can be corrected without surgical intervention. And if you have a serious medical condition, such as an acute infection that isn’t part of your surgical repair, you may need to postpone your surgery until the issue is resolved.
Potential Risks
There are general risks after surgery andanesthesia. Testicular surgery also poses a risk of some specific surgical complications.
Adverse events that can occur due to testicular surgery include:
A post-operative infection or excessive swelling can be identified shortly after surgery. Scarring may develop months or years after surgery, and infertility might not be apparent until years later.
Purpose of Testicular Surgery
There are several different reasons why you might have testicular surgery. Removing cancer, correcting a deformity, or repairing traumatic damage are the most common ones.
Some conditions, such as an infection, can often be managed with medication alone. Others, like cysts, might never need any intervention at all. You and your healthcare provider will have to discuss the risks of your condition and when surgery might become an appropriate treatment option.
Generally, the conditions that require surgical intervention with testicular surgery cause an unusual appearance of the testicles or cause testicular pain.
Testicular surgery may be needed to save a testicle, treat pain or discomfort, prevent the spread of disease from a testicle to other areas of the body, and treat fertility issues. Preserving or creating a normal appearance of the testicle is an important aspect of any type of testicular surgery.
Causes of Testicular Pain
Indications for testicular surgery include:
Testicular cancer most commonly affects males 15 to 35 years old, though it can affect men of any age.Although this cancer is rare, you should not ignore any discomfort or change in your testes (regardless of your age). See your healthcare provider if you have a lump, pain, or swelling in or near your scrotum.
A physical examination of the scrotum and testes and an ultrasound or acomputerized tomography (CT) scancan help distinguish between a benign lesion and a malignant tumor. You may also need a biopsy to distinguish between a cancerous tumor and a noncancerous one, although if cancer is suspected, the testicle may be removed without a preliminary bippsy step.
Issues like torsion, a hydrocele, or an abscess may be identified with a physical examination, and imaging tests can help in assessing the structural details for surgical planning.
You will also need to have preoperative testing including acomplete blood count (CBC)andblood chemistry tests. A chest X-ray andelectrocardiogram (EKG)will be done as part of your pre-anesthesia evaluation.
Location
You will have your operation in an operating room that’s located in a hospital or surgical center.
Most of the time, testicular surgery is an outpatient procedure. However, you might stay in the hospital if you are having major surgery for something like a severe traumatic injury that requires extensive treatment and recovery.
What to Wear
You can wear whatever you want to your surgery appointment. You will need to wear a hospital gown during your procedure, and you will likely go home wearing a hospital gown to avoid placing pressure on your surgical area as you are recovering.
Food and Drink
You will need to fast from food and drink starting at midnight the night before your surgery.
Medications
If you are having surgery for the treatment of an infection, you may be given a prescription for oral antibiotics before your operation.And if you have swelling in or near the scrotum, you may need to use an oral prescription steroid prior to your surgery.
Your healthcare provider may instruct you to stop or reduce blood thinner medications or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) for approximately one week prior to your surgery.
Be sure your surgeon is aware of any and all medications and supplements that you take.
What to Bring
Bring your identification, insurance information, and a form of payment for any portion of the surgery cost you are responsible for.
You will need to have someone drive you home after surgery, so they may want to come along before your surgery and wait for you.
Pre-Op Lifestyle Changes
You will not need to make lifestyle changes before your surgery. If you have an infection, you may need to abstain from sexual activity while it is being treated.
What to Expect on the Day of Surgery
You will be asked to register and sign a consent form upon arrival. You will then go to a pre-operative surgical area and change into a surgical gown.
Your temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiration, and oxygen saturation level will be checked. You will have an intravenous (IV, in a vein) line placed, and you may have same-day preoperative tests such as a urinalysis, blood chemistry levels, and a CBC.
If you have a severe problem, like a major infection or a substantial sign of illness, you might need to have your surgery postponed.
Before the Surgery
A nurse will place aurinary catheterin yoururethra(a tube in your penis), unless they plan to do so once you’re in the operating room. Your surgeon and anesthesiologist may check on you now or you may not see them until the surgery is ready to start.
Just before the procedure begins, a surgical drape will be placed over your body leaving a limited area of skin for the surgical incision exposed. Your skin will be cleansed with a surgical cleaning solution.
Anesthetic medication will be injected into your IV to make you sleep, to paralyze your muscles, and for pain control. You will have a breathing tube placed into your throat so that you can have mechanically assisted breathing during your surgery.
Your anesthesiologist will stand ready to monitor your oxygen saturation, respiration, blood pressure, and pulse throughout your procedure.
During the Surgery
After the initial incision, your surgeon might make another incision into the deeper layer of connective tissue underneath the skin if that is necessary to gain access for the surgical repair.
At this point, your surgeon will insert the laparoscope if you are having minimally invasive surgery. Then, either directly or with the laparoscope, the surgical location will be located.
Your surgery will be done with small surgical tools whether it is an open procedure or a minimally invasive method.
The next steps can include one or more of the following:
Throughout the procedure, bleeding is controlled. When the surgery is complete, your doctor will remove surgical tools and close the layers that were cut with suture. Your wound will be covered with surgical dressing.
Your anesthesia will be stopped and your breathing tube will be removed. The anesthesia team will ensure that you are breathing comfortably without assistance, upon which time you can taken to the surgical recovery area.
After the Surgery
You will begin to wake up in the hours after your surgery. You will be monitored for complications and receive pain medication as needed. You should be able to eat and drink normally.
Once you wake up, your urinary catheter will be removed and you will be able to use the toilet or a bedpan with assistance. Your medical team in the post-operative recovery area will help you walk when you first start to get up and take a few steps.
Your surgeon may check on you a few hours after your surgery. Before you are discharged, you will receive instructions regarding wound care, follow-up evaluations, and more.
As you are recovering after surgery, you will need to follow up with your healthcare provider to have your surgical area examined and your sutures removed. You will also have to modify your activity in the days and weeks ahead.
Healing
Your healthcare provider might give you dietary instructions or medication to prevent constipation because straining can place pressure on (and potential tear) your sutures as you are healing.
You will need to use any medications, such as antibiotics, as directed. And you may be instructed to use over-the-counter pain or prescription medication for pain control during your recovery.
Signs to watch out for include:
If you experience these problems, be sure to talk to your healthcare provider.
Coping With Recovery
You can go back to wearing underwear and pants the day after surgery, and you may be instructed to wear certain supportive underwear for the first week as you are recovering.
Your healthcare provider will give you specific instructions regarding physical activities. In the days after your surgery, you will have to avoid running and strenuous exercise like lifting or straining). You will need several weeks before you can get permission to swim, bike ride, and engage in sexual activity.
Trying to ConceiveWhether you had testicular surgery to treat infertility or you experience temporary fertility impairment while you are healing, if you want to conceive, your healthcare provider will tell you how soon after surgery you can begin trying.If you are going to conceive with vaginal intercourse, your healthcare provider may give you instructions regarding the optimal frequency and timing of sexual intercourse. And if you are trying to conceive with in vitro fertilization, you will have a schedule for that process as well.
Trying to Conceive
Whether you had testicular surgery to treat infertility or you experience temporary fertility impairment while you are healing, if you want to conceive, your healthcare provider will tell you how soon after surgery you can begin trying.If you are going to conceive with vaginal intercourse, your healthcare provider may give you instructions regarding the optimal frequency and timing of sexual intercourse. And if you are trying to conceive with in vitro fertilization, you will have a schedule for that process as well.
Whether you had testicular surgery to treat infertility or you experience temporary fertility impairment while you are healing, if you want to conceive, your healthcare provider will tell you how soon after surgery you can begin trying.
If you are going to conceive with vaginal intercourse, your healthcare provider may give you instructions regarding the optimal frequency and timing of sexual intercourse. And if you are trying to conceive with in vitro fertilization, you will have a schedule for that process as well.
Long-Term Care
Once you recover from surgery, you probably won’t need additional medical or surgical care that’s specifically related to your testicular surgery.
However, if you have testicular cancer, you will likely need additional treatment, such as chemotherapy.
Possible Future Surgeries
Generally, testicular surgery is a single operation without the need for additional procedures.
Sometimes surgery for undescended testes might involve several surgeries. This sequential plan would be determined in advance of the first surgery. And extensive disease (such as metastatic cancer), may involve additional surgeries in the future.
If you have serious complications after your surgery, such as an obstruction due to scarring, you might need a surgical repair.
Sometimes issues like benign cysts may be recurrent. If you develop additional benign testicular cysts after you’ve had a benign cyst removed, you and your healthcare provider would have to evaluate the pros and cons of removal depending on their location, size, and whether you’re experiencing any pain.
Lifestyle Adjustments
After you recover from your testicular surgery, you should be able to resume your normal activities without having to make any long-term adjustments.
A Word From Verywell
It is normal for males of any age to have some unevenness of the testicles. However, you should get a medical evaluation if you have a change in the shape, appearance, size, or sensation of your testicles. Typically, structural issues that involve the testicles can be repaired with a simple treatment. If surgery is needed, recovery involves a few weeks of restricted activity before you can get back to your normal level of activity.
Is One Testicle Bigger Than the Other Normal?
Testicular Cancer Doctor Discussion GuideGet our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.Download PDFEmail AddressSign UpThank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up.There was an error. Please try again.
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9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Urological Association.Evaluation and treatment of cryptorchidism. Updated 2014.American Cancer Society.Surgery for testicular cancer.Dagur G, Gandhi J, Suh Y, et al.Classifying hydroceles of the pelvis and groin: an overview of etiology, secondary complications, evaluation, and management.Curr Urol. 2017;10(1):1-14. doi:10.1159/000447145American Pediatric Surgical Association.Testicular torsion.American Pediatric Surgical Association.Undescended testes.Centers for Disease Control.Epididymitis. Updated June 4, 2015.Patoulias I, Kaselas C, Patoulias D, et al.Epididymal adenomatoid tumor: a very rare paratesticular tumor of childhood.Case Rep Med. 2016. doi:10.1155/2016/9539378National Organization for Rare Disorders.Rare disease database: testicular cancer.2019.Anheuser P, Kranz J, Stolle E, Höflmayer D, Büscheck F, Mühlstädt S, Lock G, Dieckmann KP.Testicular epidermoid cysts: a reevaluation.BMC Urol. 2019 Jun 11;19(1):52. doi: 10.1186/s12894-019-0477-1. PMID: 31185974; PMCID: PMC6561757.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Urological Association.Evaluation and treatment of cryptorchidism. Updated 2014.American Cancer Society.Surgery for testicular cancer.Dagur G, Gandhi J, Suh Y, et al.Classifying hydroceles of the pelvis and groin: an overview of etiology, secondary complications, evaluation, and management.Curr Urol. 2017;10(1):1-14. doi:10.1159/000447145American Pediatric Surgical Association.Testicular torsion.American Pediatric Surgical Association.Undescended testes.Centers for Disease Control.Epididymitis. Updated June 4, 2015.Patoulias I, Kaselas C, Patoulias D, et al.Epididymal adenomatoid tumor: a very rare paratesticular tumor of childhood.Case Rep Med. 2016. doi:10.1155/2016/9539378National Organization for Rare Disorders.Rare disease database: testicular cancer.2019.Anheuser P, Kranz J, Stolle E, Höflmayer D, Büscheck F, Mühlstädt S, Lock G, Dieckmann KP.Testicular epidermoid cysts: a reevaluation.BMC Urol. 2019 Jun 11;19(1):52. doi: 10.1186/s12894-019-0477-1. PMID: 31185974; PMCID: PMC6561757.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Urological Association.Evaluation and treatment of cryptorchidism. Updated 2014.American Cancer Society.Surgery for testicular cancer.Dagur G, Gandhi J, Suh Y, et al.Classifying hydroceles of the pelvis and groin: an overview of etiology, secondary complications, evaluation, and management.Curr Urol. 2017;10(1):1-14. doi:10.1159/000447145American Pediatric Surgical Association.Testicular torsion.American Pediatric Surgical Association.Undescended testes.Centers for Disease Control.Epididymitis. Updated June 4, 2015.Patoulias I, Kaselas C, Patoulias D, et al.Epididymal adenomatoid tumor: a very rare paratesticular tumor of childhood.Case Rep Med. 2016. doi:10.1155/2016/9539378National Organization for Rare Disorders.Rare disease database: testicular cancer.2019.Anheuser P, Kranz J, Stolle E, Höflmayer D, Büscheck F, Mühlstädt S, Lock G, Dieckmann KP.Testicular epidermoid cysts: a reevaluation.BMC Urol. 2019 Jun 11;19(1):52. doi: 10.1186/s12894-019-0477-1. PMID: 31185974; PMCID: PMC6561757.
American Urological Association.Evaluation and treatment of cryptorchidism. Updated 2014.
American Cancer Society.Surgery for testicular cancer.
Dagur G, Gandhi J, Suh Y, et al.Classifying hydroceles of the pelvis and groin: an overview of etiology, secondary complications, evaluation, and management.Curr Urol. 2017;10(1):1-14. doi:10.1159/000447145
American Pediatric Surgical Association.Testicular torsion.
American Pediatric Surgical Association.Undescended testes.
Centers for Disease Control.Epididymitis. Updated June 4, 2015.
Patoulias I, Kaselas C, Patoulias D, et al.Epididymal adenomatoid tumor: a very rare paratesticular tumor of childhood.Case Rep Med. 2016. doi:10.1155/2016/9539378
National Organization for Rare Disorders.Rare disease database: testicular cancer.2019.
Anheuser P, Kranz J, Stolle E, Höflmayer D, Büscheck F, Mühlstädt S, Lock G, Dieckmann KP.Testicular epidermoid cysts: a reevaluation.BMC Urol. 2019 Jun 11;19(1):52. doi: 10.1186/s12894-019-0477-1. PMID: 31185974; PMCID: PMC6561757.
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