A 42-year-old male comes into the clinic stating that he has noticed a “lump” in one of his testicles. It is not painful. He says it is behind the right testicle and just slightly above it. His ROS is negative. He has no history of testicular cancer in the family. He has tried manipulating it to see if anything changes but it does not help. He tried ice but it did not go away. He says for a couple of days it hurt a little and he tried elevating the scrotum and that seemed to make the pain go away. He says, “it is kind of like I have a third testicle!”
Upon examination, his vital signs are stable and his exam is unremarkable. You note a painless mass just superior and inferior to the right testicle. You are able to move it and it is freely movable.
List three differentials for this mass. List your top differential first and explain why it is your top differential.
When examining the patient, you examine the scrotum carefully. You note asymmetry with the left hemiscrotum lower than the right. Is this typical?
Typically, scrotal pain only affects one side and is not typically bilateral. True or false?
When palpating, the normal epididymis is more firm than the testis. True or false?
One of the things you can do is transilluminate the testis. For your top dd, will the testis typically transilluminate?
For this patient, is it extremely important to get a semen analysis?
Name 10 testicular disorders that are important to consider when evaluating a testicular mass.
If the patient is having no pain, what is the desired treatment?
If the mass is painful, what is the preferred treatment?
If a patient had to have an orchiectomy, why might counseling be an important intervention?
How often should testicular self-exam be performed?
Why is it best to perform the testicular self-exam after a warm bath or shower?
The differential diagnosis for any testicular disorder should first exclude the possibility of a ________________.
Explain the difference between a spermatocele and a hydrocele.
Testicular malignant neoplasms are very common in the general population.
Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer in men between the ages of _______.
When documenting the results of the testicular exam, what should it include?
Which of the following require immediate referral?
Torsion of the spermatic cord
Hydrocele
Incarcerated scrotal hernia
Why can varicoceles cause infertility?
If there is torsion of the spermatic cord, what are two things that can happen if treatment is delayed?
Testicular tumors have been associated with scrotal trauma. True or false?
What are two things that can result from surgical intervention for testicular tumors?
References and Preferred readings.
American Nurses Association. (2020). https://www.nursingworld.org/
American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2020). https://www.aanp.org/
Leik, M. T. C. (2018). Adult-gerontology nurse practitioner certification intensive review: Fast facts and practice questions (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.
American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2020). https://www.nursingworld.org/ancc/
Buttaro, T. M., Polgar-Bailey, P., Sandberg-Cook, J., & Trybulski, J. (2021). Primary care: Interprofessional collaborative practice (6th ed.). Elsevier.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). https://www.cdc.gov/
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020b). Healthy people 2020. https://www.healthypeople.gov/
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020a). Development of the national health promotion and disease prevention objectives for 2030. https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/About-Healthy-People/Development-Healthy-People-2030
World Health Organization. (2020). https://www.who.in