Case Report

Surgical Treatment of Cyst of the Canal of Nuck: Report of a case

Vittorio Lombardo, Giovanni Di Cara, Giuseppe Pavone, Massimo Turrisi, Giuseppe Cuticone and Francesco Iaropoli
World Journal of Surgical Research 2017, 6:5

Abstract

The canal of Nuck is the portion of the processus vaginalis within the inguinal canal in women. A hydrocele of the canal of Nuck is equivalent to an encysted hydrocele of the cord in men. Although the canal of Nuck normally disappears without a trace in the first year of life, it can cause an indirect inguinal hernia or hydrocele of the canal of Nuck when, in rare cases, it does not disappear completely.The cyst formation is likely due to the imbalance of the secretion and absorption of the secretory membrane lining the processus vaginalis. Trauma or infection may cause disruption of lymphatic drainage, which can lead to the imbalance, but in most cases, it is idiopathic. Swelling in the inguinal region of a woman may result from several conditions, including adenopathy, inguinal hernia, cyst, abscess, tumor (lipoma, leiomyoma, sarcoma), or hydrocele of the canal of Nuck. The literature reveals very little about this rare condition in the adult female patient. In this paper, we report a case of hydrocele of the canal of Nuck in a young female. The patient presented with an inguinal swelling on physical examination.The diagnosis was made with ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging and then confirmed postoperatively and by histopathology. Although rare, a hydrocele of the canal of Nuck has to be included in the differential diagnosis of a groin lump in female patients.

Keywords

Cyst of canal of Nuck, hydrocoele of canal of nuck, excision of cyst of canal of Nuck

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