Management of Abdomino-scrotal hydrocele (ASH)/Scrotal-inguino-retroperitoneal (SIR) hydrocele in a renal transplant patient

Abdomino-scrotal hydrocele (ASH) is a very rare clinical entity. It is an unusual condition, in which there is an hourglass communication between a large hydrocele and the retroperitoneal space, through the inguinal canal. First described by Dupuytren in 1834 and defined by Bickle in 1919, the condition is rarely seen. Surgical management usually involves excision of the sac as the definitive treatment option. The pathogenesis of ASH remains unclear and numerous theories have been postulated. We favour the term scrotal-inguino-retroperitoneal (SIR) hydrocele as a more accurate description. The paper presents a unique case of a 24-year-old gentleman, with a functioning kidney transplant, who developed a large ASH/SIR hydrocele that required a midline laparotomy to fenestrate the sac.