Rare Genitourinary Tuberculosis Case Diagnosed in Moroccan Hospital

A rare case in a hospital. Suffering from scrotal swelling for eight weeks, a 41-year-old man was admitted to the Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat. The doctors in the urology department of the hospital diagnosed him with genitourinary tuberculosis, a rare type of tuberculosis (TB) that affects the genital organs and urinary tract, according to The SUN. "In Morocco, tuberculosis is endemic, with an incidence of 97 cases per 100,000 people per year," the doctors wrote in an article published in Urology Case Reports.

The 41-year-old Moroccan patient had suffered from swelling of the left testicle for eight weeks. "The mass had gradually increased in size, reaching a diameter of 15 cm," the urologists who examined him reported. They proceeded to examine their patient, noting that his left testicle was "firm, irregular and non-tender, while the right testicle was normal." According to the ultrasound, "the scrotal wall appeared thickened with infiltration of the surrounding tissues," while a scan showed that the man’s bladder and kidneys were not infected with tuberculosis.

Fearing that the swelling of the man in his forties might become cancerous or spread to other parts of the body, the doctors decided to proceed with its surgical removal. During the operation, they found that the man’s testicle was "extremely enlarged and had a necrotic and heterogeneous appearance." He will undergo anti-tuberculosis treatment for six months. "The patient tolerated the treatment well and no significant side effects were reported," the authors of the report assured. But his contact with tuberculosis has been detrimental to him. His fertility has been "permanently impaired," as there were no sperm in his semen. "Fertility problems are important in testicular tuberculosis," the doctors added.