Meconium Hydrocele: An Unusual Etiology of a Scrotal Mass in the Newborn

Abstract

The in utero leakage of meconium from the gastrointestinal tract into the peritoneal cavity results in the clinical entity known as meconium peritonitis. A patent processus vaginalis in the male fetus may lead to the migration of meconium into the scrotum, and these infants can present with soft meconium-filled hydroceles at birth. Local tissue reaction during the first several weeks of life results in calcification of these hydroceles into hard tumor-like lesions that may mimic testicular neoplasia. We report an atypical case of meconium hydrocele in a newborn.