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G e n i t o u r i n a r y I m a g i n g • R ev i ew

Nicola et al.
Scrotal and Penile Trauma

Genitourinary Imaging
Review
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FOCUS ON:

Imaging of Traumatic Injuries to


the Scrotum and Penis
Refky Nicola1 OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to review scrotal and penile anatomy, the role
Nancy Carson of ultrasound in evaluating scrotal and penile trauma, and the vast spectrum of sonographic
Vikram S. Dogra manifestations of scrotal and penile trauma.
CONCLUSION. Scrotal and penile trauma is an uncommon type of trauma injury.
Nicola R, Carson N, Dogra VS However, knowledge of scrotal and penile anatomy and the appropriate imaging findings as-
sociated with acute traumatic injuries is important in establishing the correct diagnosis. So-
nography is considered the first choice of imaging modalities in establishing a diagnosis and
triaging patients into surgical and nonsurgical treatment.

S
crotal and penile trauma is an tain high-resolution images. The advantage
uncommon type of trauma inju- of ultrasound is that it is readily available,
ry, but prompt diagnosis is essen- inexpensive, portable, and can be performed
tial in the triage of patients with without patient preparation [8–10].
these injuries. Mechanisms of scrotal trauma This article reviews scrotal and penile
include blunt, penetrating, and degloving in- anatomy, the role of ultrasound in evaluating
juries. More than one half of testicular inju- scrotal and penile trauma, and the vast spec-
ries are caused by blunt trauma. Blunt trau- trum of sonographic manifestations of scro-
ma from being struck in the groin during tal and penile trauma.
athletic activity is the most common type.
Blunt trauma due to motor vehicle collisions Scrotal Anatomy
and assault accounts for only 9–17% of cases The scrotum is divided by the midline sep-
of blunt trauma [1]. Other mechanisms of tum, which is also referred to as the median
Keywords: Doppler, penis, scrotum, testis, trauma, trauma, such as penetrating, thermal (i.e., raphe. Each half of the scrotum contains a
ultrasound
burns), and degloving injuries, are less com- spermatic cord, testis, and epididymis. The
DOI:10.2214/AJR.13.11676 mon. Penetrating trauma is caused by gun- scrotal wall consists of the following lay-
shots (most common), stabbing, animal at- ers from superficial to deep: rugated skin,
Received August 5, 2013; accepted after revision tack, and even self-mutilation. Thermal and superficial fascia, dartos muscle, external
September 20, 2013.
degloving injuries are a less common form of spermatic fascia, cremasteric fascia, and in-
Presented at the 2013 annual meeting of the ARRS, scrotal injuries. With a degloving injury, the ternal spermatic fascia. The testes are sepa-
Washington DC. scrotal skin is sheared off, and a skin graft is rated from the scrotum by the tunica vagi-
necessary for repair [2]. nalis, which has two layers. The layer lining
1
All authors: Department of Radiology, University of Most penile injuries are related to sexu- the scrotal wall is the parietal layer, and the
Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave, PO Box
al activity that results in penile fracture [3]. layer extending over the testis and epididy-
648, Rochester, NY 14642. Address correspondence to
V. S. Dogra (vikram_dogra@urmc.rochester.edu).  With these injuries, delay in diagnosis and mis is the visceral layer. The tunica vaginalis
inaccurate diagnosis can result in infection, covers the testis and epididymis except for a
This article is available for credit. ischemia, infarction, penile atrophy, and de- small area in the posterior aspect. A poten-
WEB
creased fertility [4–7]. tial space between the visceral and parietal
This is a web exclusive article. High-frequency ultrasound with a linear layers can normally contain a few milliliters
transducer and gray-scale, color, and spectral of fluid. These two layers of the tunica vagi-
AJR 2014; 202:W512–W520 Doppler flow technique is the primary nonin- nalis join at the posterolateral aspect of the
vasive modality for establishing an accurate testis, where it attaches to the scrotal wall.
0361–803X/14/2026–W512
diagnosis. It is used to assess the anatomic The tunica albuginea is a dense fibrous
© American Roentgen Ray Society and physiologic integrity of the area and ob- layer that lies deep to the tunica vaginalis.

W512 AJR:202, June 2014


Scrotal and Penile Trauma

Each testis is bound externally by the tunica verse images with portions of each testis in trusion of the testicular parenchyma, thus ap-
albuginea, which helps to maintain its shape the same image should be acquired in gray- pearing as a contour abnormality within the
and integrity. The tunica albuginea appears scale and color Doppler modes to allow op- scrotum (Fig. 3). The presence of tunica al-
as two bright echogenic lines at high-fre- timal comparison (Fig. 1). Each testis is ex- buginea disruption alone has sensitivity and
quency sonography (Fig. 1). amined in at least two planes: longitudinal specificity of 50% and 75% for testicular in-
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A testis measures 5 × 3 × 2 cm after puber- and transverse. In patients being evaluated jury [11]. Because of the rupture of the tuni-
ty and is homogeneously echogenic at ultra- for scrotal trauma, the asymptomatic side ca albuginea, there is injury to the testicular
sound. The testicular parenchyma consists of should be scanned first to set the gray-scale parenchyma, which is seen as heterogeneous
multiple lobules, each of which is composed and color Doppler gain settings to allow echogenicity within the testis. In addition, the
of several seminiferous tubules that lead via comparison with the affected side [2]. Col- disruption of the tunica vasculosa, which un-
tubuli recti to the dilated spaces known as or Doppler and spectral Doppler parameters derlies the tunica albuginea and is composed
the rete testis within the mediastinum. are optimized to low velocity settings to dis- of capsular arteries within the testis, is an in-
The epididymis, which overlies the supe- play blood flow within the testes and the sur- direct sign of tunica albuginea rupture [12].
rior and lateral aspects of the testis, is com- rounding structures. Pulsed Doppler record- This results in loss of vascularity to a por-
posed of a head, body, and tail. The head is ings should be obtained in each testis (Fig. tion of the testis. Therefore, the presence of
a 5- to 12-mm triangular structure situated 2). The power Doppler mode is used to eval- heterogeneous echotexture within the testis,
atop the superior pole of the testis. At ultra- uate patients with acute scrotal pain when testicular contour abnormality due to disrup-
sound the head is isoechoic in relation to the minimal flow is detected with standard set- tion of the tunica albuginea, and regions of
testis. The body of the epididymis is 2–4 mm tings. In addition to static images, cine clips avascularity have the highest sensitivity and
thick as it courses alongside the testicle infe- of the scrotum can be obtained for careful specificity for testicular rupture [5, 13]. He-
riorly to become the tail, which continues as scrutiny of the area after the examination. dayati et al. [14] described the use of contrast
the vas deferens in the spermatic cord. The structures within the sac and the material to assess for vascular flow to further
scrotal skin thickness are also examined to delineate vascular compromise and evaluate
Sonographic Evaluation of the Scrotum evaluate for extratesticular injuries or other the extent of viability of a ruptured testis. We
Standard ultrasound technique is performed abnormalities, such as collections and he- do not use this technique at our institution.
with the patient lying supine with the scrotum matomas. The sonographic characteristics of More than 80% of ruptured testes can be
supported by a towel between the thighs. For scrotal trauma can be broadly classified into salvaged if surgical repair is performed with-
optimal results, a 7–14-MHz high-frequen- intratesticular and extratesticular (epididy- in 72 hours of testicular injury [15]. Typical-
cy linear-array transducer is used, and the gel mis) and intrascrotal and extrascrotal inju- ly, testicular rupture is unilateral, but 1.5%
should be warm. If the patient has an open ries (e.g., to the penis and perineum). of cases are bilateral [16]. On rare occasions,
wound, sterile technique is recommended. Im- testicular rupture can be associated with epi-
mediately after trauma injury, the scrotum is Intratesticular Injuries didymal ruptures, which may at times be dif-
often tender to palpation, which makes scan- Testicular Rupture ficult to detect with ultrasound.
ning exceptionally challenging. The normal tunica albuginea appears as
A complete evaluation of the anatomy of a hyperechoic line outlining the testis. The Testicular Fracture
the scrotum should be performed even in the discontinuity of the tunica albuginea sug- Testicular fracture is identified at ultra-
acute phase, when time is limited. Trans- gests rupture of the testis, which causes ex- sound by the presence of a relatively linear

A B

Fig. 1—34-year-old man with right testicular pain.


A, Sagittal gray-scale ultrasound image of normal right testis shows homogeneous echotexture. Tunica albuginea (arrows) appears as echogenic line surrounding tes-
ticle.
B, Transverse bilateral color Doppler image shows normal symmetric blood flow.

AJR:202, June 2014 W513


Nicola et al.

times difficult to identify because they can


appear isoechoic in relation to the surround-
ing testis or may have a diffusely heteroge-
neous echotexture. For this reason, an acute
hematoma is reexamined within 12–24 hours
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after the initial ultrasound examination to


find any changes in echogenicity [12, 19].
As a hematoma evolves, it becomes more
hypoechoic to anechoic and eventually de-
creases in size. Color Doppler can be used
to differentiate such hematomas from the tu-
mors included in the differential diagnosis of
intratesticular lesions. A well-defined hema-
toma within the testis does not exhibit inter-
nal vascularity except when it is infected [12]
(Fig. 4).
In patients with hematoma, the most im-
portant role of ultrasound is to exclude tes-
ticular rupture, because the care of these pa-
tients can depend primarily on the ultrasound
findings. Small hematomas without direct
evidence of testicular rupture are managed
conservatively with ice packs, nonsteroidal
antiinflammatory drugs, follow-up physi-
cal examinations, and serial ultrasound ex-
Fig. 2—25-year-old man with right testicular pain. Sagittal color and spectral Doppler image shows normal low-
resistance arterial waveform. aminations [5]. Follow-up ultrasound of all
conservatively treated intratesticular hema-
hypoechoic, avascular area within the testic- and the rest of the vascular parenchyma is tomas until they resolve is essential because
ular parenchyma that may or may not be as- preserved [2, 12]. of the high incidence of infection and ne-
sociated with tunica albuginea rupture [17]. crosis, which may require orchiectomy [12].
Actual fracture lines through the testicle are Hematoma Another reason for follow-up ultrasound is
rare in cases of testicular fracture [18]. Color Intratesticular hematomas are fairly com- that a testicular tumor should be considered
Doppler ultrasound plays an important role mon findings in blunt testicular trauma. The in the differential diagnosis of intratesticular
in the evaluation of testicular fracture. Flow ultrasound appearance of a hematoma de- lesions. Lesions are excluded if the area of
within the testicular parenchyma is indica- pends on the time that has elapsed between concern shows interval resolution [19].
tive of salvageability. Frequently, débride- the trauma and the ultrasound evaluation. It is recommended that large intratestic-
ment is performed along the fracture line, Hyperacute and acute hematomas are some- ular hematomas be surgically explored and

A B

Fig. 3—32-year-old man with scrotal rupture due to motor vehicle accident.
A, Longitudinal gray-scale ultrasound image of right testis shows disruption of tunica albuginea (straight arrow) that results in contour abnormality (asterisk) and forma-
tion of focal hematoma (curved arrow).
B, Color Doppler image shows decreased vascularity within ruptured segment of testis (arrowhead) and no vascularity in focal hematoma (arrow). Patient underwent
surgical débridement.

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A B

Fig. 4—30-year-old man with testicular hematoma resulting from sports injury.
A, Longitudinal gray-scale ultrasound image of left testis shows intratesticular hypoechoic region (arrow) suggestive of intratesticular hematoma.
B, Color Doppler image shows no vascularity within hematoma (arrow).

Fig. 5—45-year-old man


with hematocele and
hematoma due to scrotal
trauma. Transverse gray-
scale ultrasound image
of left testis shows he-
matocele and hematoma
(asterisks) with hematocrit
levels. T = testis.
Fig. 6—47-year-old man with scrotal wall hematoma
drained even if there is no evidence of testicu- Acute hematocele is echogenic in appear- after sports injury. Gray-scale ultrasound image
lar rupture or large extratesticular hematocele. ance, whereas chronic hematocele is more shows heterogeneous scrotal wall thickening (ar-
The purpose is to avoid progressive pressure anechoic, can develop septa and loculations, rows) secondary to hemorrhage and small hemato-
cele (arrowhead). Testis (T) is not injured.
necrosis, atrophy, and orchiectomy [20]. and may not resolve [21] (Fig. 5). It may
also become calcified and mimic an extra-
Extratesticular Injuries testicular calcified mass. nica rupture in the presence of a large hema-
Scrotal Hematoma or Hematocele In the acute phase, a large hematocele can toma [22]. Posttraumatic hematomas can be
Extratesticular hematoceles, or collec- cause extrinsic compression on surrounding confined to the scrotal wall, where they ap-
tions of blood within the tunica vaginalis, blood vessels and reduce blood flow, resem- pear at ultrasound as focal thickening or a
are the most common finding in the scrotum bling complete or partial torsion. Therefore, fluid collection within the wall (Fig. 6).
after blunt trauma [12]. Micallef et al. [13] emergency surgical evacuation of the extra-
noted such findings in 11 of 15 patients. Ex- testicular hematoma is necessary to restore Traumatic Epididymitis
tratesticular soft tissues, such as the scro- blood flow and salvage the testis. A large he- Traumatic epididymitis is uncommon, but
tal wall, tunica albuginea, and epididymis, matocele also requires surgical exploration it can occur in patients who have sustained
may also be involved. The ultrasound ap- irrespective of evidence of tunica albuginea acute scrotal trauma. The ultrasound find-
pearance of an extratesticular hematocele or rupture. The reason for this step is that ul- ings of traumatic epididymitis are an en-
hematoma varies with the age of the lesion. trasound has limited utility in identifying tu- larged heterogeneous epididymal head that is

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Nicola et al.

hypoechoic in relation to the testis owing to location due to trauma [28, 29]. The dislo- buginea, which appears as a thin echogenic
swelling and edema. Color Doppler imaging cated testis can be anywhere along the sper- line. When the penis becomes erect, the two
also shows increased flow in the epididymal matic cord. The superficial inguinal area is corpora cavernosa enlarge and the sinusoids
head [23] (Fig. 7). Heterogeneity of the epi- the most common site of dislocation. Other dilate, changing the echogenicity from ho-
didymal head can be secondary to hematoma sites such as perineal, retrovesical, and even mogeneous to hypoechoic.
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or contusion [15, 24]. Although this appear- acetabular regions are much less common The arterial supply to the penis is from
ance is similar to that of infectious epididy- [30, 31]. the dorsal artery, which is lateral to the
mitis, the history of recent traumatic injury The diagnosis of testicular dislocation can deep dorsal vein and supplies the glans pe-
suggests traumatic epididymitis. However, in- be made when palpation reveals an empty nis and skin. The cavernosal artery is a ter-
fectious epididymitis is more common [19]. and ecchymotic hemiscrotum and an ipsilat- minal branch of the internal pudendal artery.
eral inguinal mass. Color-flow Doppler ultra- It is located within the center of the corpus
Testicular Torsion sound is essential for evaluating the viability cavernosum and provides arterial flow dur-
Trauma-induced testicular torsion is a of the testis. If the dislocated testis is viable, ing erection. The urethral bulb and poste-
well-known phenomenon and a surgical manual reduction is performed. If this ma- rior corpus spongiosum are supplied by the
emergency. Traumatic torsion can be caused neuver is not successful, immediate surgical bulbourethral artery, which is known as the
by stimulating forceful contraction of the reduction and fixation are necessary [32]. urethral bulb. The venous supply is through
cremaster muscles. Both gray-scale and col- the dorsal veins: the superficial dorsal vein,
or-flow Doppler evaluations are essential for Penile Anatomy which is superficial to the Buck fascia, and
evaluating the alterations caused by trauma. The penis consists of a pair of corpora cav- the deep dorsal vein, which is deep to the
The sonographic characteristics of posttrau- ernosa along its dorsal aspect and a midline Buck fascia.
matic testicular torsion are similar to those corpus spongiosum along its ventral surface.
of spontaneous testicular torsion [1]. The crura of the corpora cavernosa are at- Sonographic Evaluation of the Penis
tached to the ischial tuberosities. The corpora The standard technique for ultrasound of
Testicular Dislocation cavernosa are composed of venous sinusoids the penis is performed with the patient in the
Testicular dislocation is uncommon af- that fill with blood during erection, and they supine or lithotomy (frog-leg) position and
ter trauma injury, and it is difficult to diag- are surrounded by the tunica albuginea. The the penis in the anatomic position, lying on
nose with ultrasound examination after acute corpus spongiosum surrounds the urethra and the anterior abdominal wall. Longitudinal
trauma. Unless the sonographer or the radiol- expands anteriorly to form the glans penis; it and transverse gray-scale and Doppler color-
ogist is aware of it, testicular dislocation can is also surrounded by the glans tunica albu- flow images of the entire length of the pe-
be easily missed. ginea. The three corpora combined are sur- nis should be obtained with a high-frequen-
Testicular dislocation is typically unilater- rounded by two fascial layers: the superficial cy (7.5–12-MHz) linear array transducer and
al and rarely bilateral [25]. It usually occurs Colles fascia and the deeper Buck fascia. The acoustic gel. A transperineal approach with
in straddle injuries in motorcycle accidents tunica albuginea is the deepest fibrous layer elevation of the testes is used to assess the
when the rider is propelled forward, and the and surrounds each corpus individually. base of the penis.
scrotum and perineum strike the fuel tank. On transverse images, the two corpora The cavernosal artery is located within the
The fuel tank acts as a smooth wedge driving cavernosa are seen as symmetric homoge- center of the corpus cavernosum or slightly to-
into the groin area, forcibly displacing each neous midlevel-echo circular structures that ward the median septum penis and is noted in
testis in the superolateral direction [26, 27]. are surrounded by an echogenic line repre- both longitudinal and transverse views. It ap-
Patients with a wide external inguinal ring, senting the tunica albuginea (Fig. 8). The pears as two echogenic dots on transverse im-
an indirect inguinal hernia, or an atrophic two corpora cavernosa are separated by the ages and as a tubular structure with echogen-
testis are more vulnerable to testicular dis- septum penis, an extension of the tunica al- ic walls on longitudinal images (Fig. 8). The

Fig. 7—26-year-old man


with traumatic epididymitis
due to sports injury.
A, Longitudinal gray-scale
image of epididymis shows
enlarged heterogeneous
epididymis (arrow). Hetero-
geneity is due to multiple,
small, avascular hemato-
mas. Calipers = testis.
B, Color Doppler image
shows increased vascular-
ity within epididymis (ar-
row), whereas contusions
have no vascularity.
A B

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Scrotal and Penile Trauma

venous drainage of the corpora cavernosa is location of the tear within the tunica albugin- considered an emergency because it is not
through the small emissary veins, which drain ea [35–38] (Fig. 9). In addition to ultrasound, associated with pain, and permanent erectile
into the dorsal, cavernosal, and crural veins. MRI can show excellent soft-tissue delinea- dysfunction is unlikely.
tion in evaluation of the integrity of the tuni- Although the cause of priapism may be
Penile Trauma ca albuginea, which is hypointense on imag- known clinically, a cavernosa blood gas lev-
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Penile Fracture es obtained with all pulse sequences whether el may be necessary to confirm the diagno-
A penile fracture typically occurs in the or not a hematoma is present [39]. sis with high oxygen tension. A less invasive
proximal or mid shaft of the erect penis. method is Doppler ultrasound to evaluate the
Concomitant injury to the penile urethra oc- Priapism vascularity of the penis. Color and spectral
curs in approximately 10–20% of cases and Priapism is defined as a prolonged penile Doppler ultrasound depicts high blood flow
should be suspected if blood is found within erection not associated with sexual desire. within the cavernosal artery (Fig. 10).
the urethral meatus or if cavernosal injury is Priapism is categorized as either low flow
bilateral [33, 34]. Patients with penile frac- (ischemic) or high flow (nonischemic). Mal- Intracavernosal Hematoma
ture report hearing a cracking or popping function of normal penile flow due to hyper- Injury to the subtunical venous plexus or
sound and feeling sharp pain followed by coagulability, sickle cell disease, or medi- smooth-muscle trabecula in the absence of
rapid detumescence, swelling, discoloration, cation results in prolonged obstruction of complete tunical disruption can lead to a
and deformity of the penis, which is com- venous outflow leading to high cavernous cavernosal hematoma [40]. Intracavernosal
monly described as eggplant deformity [3]. pressure, which causes irreversible isch- hematomas are usually bilateral and result
Penile fractures are urologic emergencies emic changes and permanent erectile dys- from injury to the cavernosal tissue when the
and require immediate surgical exploration. function. Therefore, priapism is considered base of the penis is crushed against the pel-
However, the diagnosis is usually delayed a true emergency [39]. vic bones [38]. The sonographic appearance
because of the patient’s embarrassment. High-flow priapism is caused by unregu- of a penile hematoma can vary with its age.
The benefits of ultrasound are that it can lated arterial flow due to arterial trauma. Pa- In the acute phase, a hematoma is usually
be used to evaluate normal anatomy and the tients typically present with a painless erec- hyperechoic and eventually becomes a cystic
extent of injury and that it depicts the exact tion after genitourinary trauma. This is not lesion with septation [3]. Cavernosal damage

Fig. 8—53-year-old man with normal penis.


A, Drawing shows normal penile anatomy.
B and C, Transverse gray-scale (B) and longitudinal color Doppler (C) ultrasound
images of normal penis show corpora cavernosa (straight arrows, B), corpus spon-
giosum (large arrowhead, B), cavernosal arteries (small arrowheads), and tunica
albuginea (curved arrow, B).
A

B C

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A B
Fig. 9—40-year-old man with fractured penis.
A, Transverse gray-scale image of penis shows disruption of tunica (straight arrow) on left, right corpus caver-
nosum (arrowhead), and corpus spongiosum (curved arrow).
B, Longitudinal color Doppler image shows disruption of tunica (arrow) on left that results in organized hema-
toma (asterisk) under Buck fascia.
C, Intraoperative photograph shows disruption of tunica albuginea (arrow).

Fig. 10—56-year-old man in emergency department


with partial tumescence due to high-flow priapism.
A and B, Transverse (A) and longitudinal (B) color and
spectral Doppler images of penis show arteriovenous
fistula (arrow) between cavernosal artery and vein
secondary to trauma during sexual activity.
A B

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Fig. 11—40-year-old man with pain and swelling due


to cavernosal hematoma resulting from penile trauma
sustained during intercourse. Transverse gray-scale
ultrasound image shows echogenic hematoma (ar-
row) within left corpus.
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A B

Fig. 12—34-year-old man with dorsal vein thrombosis after sexual activity.
A and B, Transverse (A) and longitudinal (B) gray-scale ultrasound images show thrombosed dorsal vein (arrow).

can cause fibrosis, which at ultrasound ap- the clinical and sonographic appearance can References
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