Department of Radiology, Catholic University Medical College
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE : This prospective study was designed to investigate the utilitg of resistive indices(RIs) ofintratesticular and epididymal arteries in iflammatory scrotal disease. SUBJECTS & METHODS : Gray-scale and colorDoppler ultrasonographic images were obtained in 19 consecutive patients of scrotal inflammatory disease from Nov.1993 to Oct. 1994. Eleven cases of epididymitis and 11 of epididymoorchitis(EO) were included. RIs of epididymaland centripetal arteries were calculated in 19 patients and 30 cases of control. RESULTS : All EO and epididymitiscases showed increased color signal at color Doppler ultrasonogram at representative sites. Mean RI of centripetalartery was 0.46±0.06 in EO and 0.66±0.07 in normal control, hence RI in EO was significantly lower than that ofnormal control(P<0.001). The diagnostic sensitivity was 91% when the value of 0.5 or less is estimated abnormal.Mean RI of centripetal artery was 0.67±0.07 in epididymitis, and was not significantly different from that ofnormal control(P=0.687). Mean RI of epididymal artery in epididymitis and EO was 0.48±0.12 and resistive index ofall patients were below 0.7. CONCLUSION : Color Doppler can demonstrate the hyperemic response to scrotalinflammatory disease that it can supplement the gray scale finding leading to increased diagnostic confidence. RIof centripetal artery may be confirmative in the diagnosis of inflammatory scrotal inflammatory scrotal diseaseswhen increased color flow on color flow imaging is present.