Chronic scrotal pain (CSP) is a common and poorly understood medical condition that significantly affects individuals' quality of life. Many patients seek evaluation and management of their symptoms from multiple physicians. Our review aims to address diagnostic modalities, clinical evaluation, and surgical and non-surgical management. We conducted a computerised detailed search of the PubMed, Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases for reports pertaining to CSP using the Medical Subject Headings keywords 'chronic scrotal pain', 'testicular pain' and 'orchialgia', and we included in the review those that fulfilled the inclusion (adult male with CSP presenting with the criteria of CSP ) and exclusion (extra-scrotal pain) criteria. After the direct causes of CSP were identified by reviewing the clinical evaluations (history taking and examination are mandatory) and the diagnostic evaluations (urine analysis is crucial and ultrasound can be helpful), the most-used medical and non-surgical treatments for CSP were tricyclic antidepressants (success rate of up to 66.6%) and spermatic block (success rate of more than 90%), and the most-used surgical procedure was microsurgical denervation of the spermatic cord (success rate of up to 70%). The evidence currently available remains rare and of low quality, making it difficult to strongly recommend individual treatment options. However, multimodal treatment modalities using physical therapy and psychotherapy may help patients and provide useful tools for coping with this condition. There are also useful non-surgical and surgical options for CSP that depend on the patient's state, the severity of the complaint and what options have already been tried.
Keywords: clinical evaluation; diagnostic modalities; medical treatment; orchialgia; scrotal pain; surgical treatment; testicular pain.
Copyright © 2020, Moubasher et al.