[Comparison of Chronic Testicular Pain and Scrotal Pain Due to Varicocele Using the Japanese Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ)].

Abstract

Chronic testicular pain (CTP) is testicular pain that persists for more than 3 months, and the cause of the pain is often unknown, sometimes requiring differentiation from varicocele (VC). In this study, the shortform McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ), which allows a detailed assessment of pain, was used to examine the clinical differences between CTP and scrotal pain due to VC. A retrospective study (IRB# : TeiRin21- 036) was conducted on 77 patients who visited our clinic between 2018 and 2022 with the chief complaint of scrotal pain. Of the 77 patients, 19 were diagnosed with CTP and 58 patients with VC. All patients were evaluated for marital status, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and duration of pain. In addition, comorbidities were assessed using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). All patients were asked to complete the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Verbal Rating Scale (VRS), and SF-MPQ. With respect to the patient background, the CTP group was significantly older than the VC group, had a higher percentage of married patients, and had higher CCI. Concerning pain assessment, the CTP group had significantly higher NRS and VRS than the VC group. In terms of pain sensation and character, the CTP group experienced significantly more throbbing, shooting, stabbing, sharp, burning, and tender pain than the VC group. Regarding, the emotional aspects of pain, they significantly felt the pain tiring- exhausting, sickening, fearful, and punishing-cruel. These results suggest that the SF-MPQ may be a useful questionnaire in the evaluation of CTP.