72-Year-Old Ohio Man Becomes First Person To Be Diagnosed With 'Whistling Scrotum'

A 72-year-old Ohio man, who was rushed to the emergency room after he heard whistling sounds from his scrotum, has become the first person in the world to be diagnosed with a rare condition named pneumoscrotum.

Following complaints of a hissing sound, the unidentified man was rushed to a hospital where he was diagnosed with a bizarre condition simply referred to as "whistling scrotum," according to the American Journal of Case Reports.

The man’s face was swollen, and he was out of breath when he was rushed to the hospital. A chest scan revealed his lungs had collapsed due to an abnormal volume of air floating inside him, the New York Post reported. The doctors also found out the air was escaping from an open sore on the left side of his scrotum. It was not clear when the incident took place.

Pneumoscrotum is a rare condition that causes air to become trapped in the scrotum. There have only been 60 cases of this condition described in medical literature. The report confirmed the penetrating wounds resulted in air being trapped, which was what probably caused the pneumoscrotum in this man’s case.

If left untreated, the condition could have gotten worse and caused fatal damage to his heart and lungs.

The man has a medical history of diabetes, but no pulmonary diseases. He was not a smoker and his social history did not reveal any evidence of illicit drug use.

Five months before the diagnosis, the man had surgery to relieve some inflammation caused by epididymitis, which is a clinical condition that causes pain, swelling and inflammation of a tube at the back of the testicles. The syndrome also causes tenderness in the testicle, usually on one side, along with difficulty in urinating.

Following the surgery, the wound had not completely healed, resulting in a whistling sound.

The doctors then drained the excess air with the help of two plastic tubes inserted into his chest. Dr. Brant Bickord and his colleagues had to remove the man’s testicles to avoid further complications. After three days, the man recovered and was discharged from the hospital.