If left untreated, the condition could have been potentially fatal
A man was left rather alarmed when he heard an unusual noise coming from his crotch – only to discover that he had become the first person ever with a “whistling scrotum”.
An unnamed 72-year-old from Ohio discovered a hissing sound coming from his genitals and – alongside a swollen face and difficulty catching his breath – was rushed to the hospital, according to a recent study published by the American Journal of Case Reports.
After a trip to the X-ray room, doctors discovered that the man, who had recently undergone surgery involving a “scrotal incision and drainage for recurrent epididymitis”, had “excessive” amounts of air floating around inside his body.
As a result, his lungs had collapsed – and if left untreated – this extra air could have potentially killed him, fatally damaging these organs alongside his heart.
It was later discovered that the whistling was the result of an open wound located on the left side of the scrotum which had occurred following a testicular operation conducted five months earlier. Trapped air then escaped through the hole, causing the unusual “whistling scrotum” effect.
With the use of plastic tubes, doctors were able to drain this erroneous air and eventually fix the 72-year-old’s obscure problem.
The same study goes on to explain that “Pneumoscrotum is a rare clinical occurrence in which air accumulates in the scrotum,” adding that “the origin of air is primarily from trauma.”
Following a touch and go period in hospital after the air impacted his heart and lungs, the man was finally able to leave and return home – however he continued to have air trapped in his scrotum for the next two years, which doctors admitted was an “unusually long time”.
In order to fully fix the problem – which the study cites as being originally caused by previous penetrative injuries – doctors had to remove both of his testicles.
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