Meconium periorchitis: intrauterine diagnosis and neonatal outcome: case reports and review of the literature

Abstract

Meconium periorchitis (MP) is a rare disorder caused by fetal meconium peritonitis with subsequent spillage of meconium into the scrotal sac. The condition is seldom diagnosed correctly during fetal life and the ultrasonographic diagnoses reported vary from no diagnosis to hematoma or hydrocele. It is usually diagnosed clinically during the first year of life when a scrotal mass is an incidental finding. Here, we describe two cases of MP that were diagnosed during routine intrauterine ultrasound examination for fetal growth assessment, and confirmed after birth. One infant underwent a surgical excision of the scrotal mass, confirming the histological diagnosis of meconium periorchitis. The other was managed conservatively. Neither had cystic fibrosis. Thus, we believe that a diagnosis of MP should be considered when prenatal ultrasonographic findings are suspicious for the problem. The awareness of the ultrasonographer and the neonatologist are important for immediate postnatal management, as congenital scrotal masses may have other etiologies.