A 3-month-old boy is brought with a painless, translucent, fluid-filled swelling around the right testis that is patent to the abdominal cavity. The processus vaginalis has failed to obliterate. The swelling is a communicating hydrocele. Between which two layers does the fluid collect?

• A Between the dartos and the external spermatic fascia
• B Between the internal spermatic fascia and the tunica vaginalis
• C Between the tunica albuginea and the tunica vaginalis
• D Between the parietal and visceral layers of the tunica vaginalis ✓

Explanation

In a communicating hydrocele, the processus vaginalis remains patent, allowing peritoneal fluid to flow into the tunica vaginalis. The fluid collects between the parietal and visceral layers of the tunica vaginalis, the serous covering derived from the peritoneum during testicular descent. The tunica albuginea is the fibrous capsule directly surrounding the testis, and the other layers are coverings of the spermatic cord, not the site of hydrocele fluid collection.

Reference: Bailey and Love's Short Practice of Surgery, 28th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.