According to Grossman (2013), an absence of cremasteric reflex and apresence of testicular pain are likely indications of inguinal hernia. An inguinal hernia is a swelling that occurs in the groins due to the weakness in the surrounding muscles. Testicular pain is mainly attributable to the reddening and swelling of the testis. The swellings occur on the weak points of the inguinal canal due to strenuous exercises, bowel obstructions, and changes in the openings of the fascia. The burning protrusion makes the testis walls weak causing enlargement of inguinal canals. Additional symptoms and signs of inguinal hernia are nausea, displacement of the anatomical position of the testis, and burning sensation in the scrotum. In some situations, there is decreased blood supply in the lower abdominal cavity leading to strangulation. Inguinal hernia patients experience fever, bowel obstruction leading to misdiagnosis with hernia-like illnesses (Jenkins & O’Dwyer, 2008).
The immediate intervention of inguinal hernia is outpatient surgery (Grossman, 2013). Outpatient surgery helps in the management of the descending testis and securely delays hernia proliferation. The surgery process is advantageous because it is cheap and consumes little time. The improvement in technology makes the surgery process safe and efficient. Outpatient surgery manages descending testis, which leads to organ displacement, testicular pain, and a burning sensation. Future plan for work up will involve elective surgery. Elective surgery needs careful evaluation in order to reduce the risks of long-term disability. Patients that undergo elective surgery require close monitoring in the hospital setting. The surgery removes malignant body parts near the groin without damaging the reproductive and urinary systems of the male patient (Jenkins & O’Dwyer, 2008).
The patient will be at risk of complications in the future due to the presence of descending testicle (Jenkins & O’Dwyer, 2008). The inguinal canal in the descending testicle may bulge and block the spermatic cord leading to temporal infertility. Patients with inguinal hernia develop intra-abdominal pain due to increased pressure caused by excessive bulging of the scrotum and descending of one pair of testes. Errors in the surgical procedure during inguinal hernia management lead to permanent pain and scars on the patient. The risks get increased the moment the bulging groin gets in contact with the intestines. The emerging condition may result in the operation of the intestines in order to reduce the excessive pain. The surgical operations force the patient to face long duration of staying in the hospital for close monitoring. In some situations, inguinal hernia appears later, after successful surgery. The lack of sufficient advice and precaution measures contribute profoundly to an increase of complications related to inguinal hernia (Grossman, 2013).
The meaning of the absent cremastric reflex is an indication that the inguinal hernia does not affect the cremaster muscle that holds the testis. Additionally, the absence of the cremasteric reflex indicates a lack of the testicular rise. Cremasteric reflex is a superficial reflex observation on the males’ groin. The procedure of the cremasteric reflex helps in the identification of damaged cremaster muscle due to pulling down of the testis. The cremasteric reflex procedure, use of motor and sensory neurons are present in the genital-femoral nerve for identification of stroked nerves (Grossman, 2013). Jenkins and O’Dwyer (2008) argue that right testicular pain has an association with the damage of the spermatic cord. The absence of the cremasteric reflex is useful in differentiating the symptoms of epididymitis and the inguinal hernia (Jenkins & O’Dwyer, 2008).
References
Grossman, S. (2013). Porth’s Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States (9th Ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Jenkins, J. T., & O’Dwyer, P. J. (2008). Inguinal hernias. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 336(7638), 269-272.