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Lump on left testicle

I'm a 24 year old American living in China. A few months ago I found a lump on my left testicle. When I went to the doctor he was unable to find the lump. I had an ultrasound and it came back ok. The ultrasound was performed by a technician certified in China, at an international clinic (My doctor was from New Zealand) I point this out because the doctors in the clinic have hinted that the quality of the training of the chinese workers isn't always as high as in the west. The ultrasound technician didn't move my testicles or scrotum with his hand, he just moved the ultrasound wand around them. I don't know if this is standard, I just included it in case it is relevant in terms of the accuracy of the sonogram, I imagine one could get a better image by manipulating the testicles, especially since they aren't in a fixed position, but this is, of course, an uneducated opinion. He said he found a cyst on my left testicle. The doctor said it was no big deal.

A few months have past and I started having pain in that area, it seemed to be in my left testicle, a sort of dull ache. But the most pronounced pain was in my pelvis, up an inch or so from the base of my penis and about an inch or so to the left of my body (my left) The pain in the area comes together, it's most distinguishable in the pelvis but the ache spreads to the testicle too. I took a shower and inspected the left testicle, and found a lump there, I'm pretty sure it's the same one as before, it seems more pronounced. There was pain while I manipulated it, but I'm not sure if that just came from moving my testicles around a lot. It wasn't so much pain like touching a bruise or a cut, it was more like the aching of the area.
I inspected the area a bit more, I feel like their might be a tube running to the lump. Is it possible I'm feeling the bottom of the epididymis? Does that area ever swell?

Is it possible to mistake something cancerous for a cyst in an ultrasound? Or can I trust that it's a cyst?
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Avatar universal
A related discussion, Follow up was started.
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Thanks for your help!
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1760321 tn?1313518506
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Dear smb0268,

Thanks for the query.

Considering the description that you provide, it is quite likely that you have an epididymal cyst which is causing the pain. Usually an ultrasound is highly specific and sensitive for detecting such cysts.

These cysts are benign and usually do not require treatment. However, if they cause significant pain then surgical treatment can be offered. This is usually needed for large cysts. Torsion (twisting) of the cyst can occur but is extremely rare with only a handful of cases reported. They do not become infected.

I also think that you should get examined to rule out a hernia as the site that you describe is close to the hernia orifice.

Hope that this information helps and hope that you will get better soon.

Thank you for using MedHelp's "Ask an Expert" Service, where we feature some of world's renowned medical experts in their fields. Millions have benefitted from our service to get personalized advice for them and for their loved ones.

Best Regards,
Dr. Rajiv Goel
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