Left side1-150 scrotal skin temperature and rectal temperature in healthy male neonates (group I: age 0 to 4 weeks), infants (group II: age 1 to 12 months), and toddlers (group III: age 13 to 55 months). The results for the right scrotal side were very similar (data not shown, ns for all parameters)
| Parameter |
Group I (neonates) n = 14 |
Group II (infants) n = 22 |
Group III (toddlers) n = 12 | ||
| Mean scrotal T (°C), left side | cotton (c) | 35.7 (0.42)ab | 34.9 (0.61)a | 34.7 (0.54)b | |
| plastic (p) | 36.4 (0.22)1-152 c | 36.0 (0.36)1-152 c | 35.7 (0.38)1-152 c | ||
| Δ p − c | 0.79 (0.45) | 1.13 (0.47) | 0.95 (0.45) | ||
| Mean daytime T (°C), left side | cotton | nd | 35.1 (0.60) | 34.7 (1.08) | |
| plastic | nd | 36.0 (0.54)1-152 | 35.8 (0.56) | ||
| Δ p − c | nd | 1.10 (0.47) | 1.00 (1.36) | ||
| Mean sleep T (°C), left side | cotton | nd | 35.1 (0.65) | 34.7 (1.08) | |
| plastic | nd | 35.8 (0.37)1-152 | 35.8 (0.51) | ||
| Δ p − c | nd | 1.02 (0.63) | 1.00 (0.86) | ||
| Rectal T (°C) | cotton | 37.0 (0.40) | 37.0 (0.37) | 37.3 (0.42) | |
| plastic | 37.0 (0.38) | 37.0 (0.38) | 37.3 (0.42) | ||
| Rectal T minus mean scrotal T (°C), left side | cotton | 1.47 (0.36)de | 2.13 (0.70)d | 2.62 (0.82)e | |
| plastic | 0.52 (0.37)1-152 f | 1.01 (0.44)1-152 f | 1.63 (0.72)1-152 f | ||
| Δ p − c | −0.91 (0.29) | −1.11 (0.54) | −1.00 (0.50) | ||
| Maximal scrotal T (°C) | cotton | 36.8 (0.35) | 36.4 (0.41) | 36.4 (0.30) | |
| plastic | 37.4 (0.36)1-152 | 37.0 (0.36)1-152 | 37.2 (0.41)1-152 | ||
| Change of napkins per 24 hours (n) | cotton | 5.4 (1.2) | 5.0 (1.7) | 3.6 (2.3) | |
| plastic | 5.6 (1.4) | 4.5 (1.2) | 3.5 (2.0) | ||
T = temperature, ND = not done, NS = p < 0.05.
↵1-150 The left side was chosen for direct comparability with literature data (table 2), and since this is the side where varicocele occurs.
1-151 p < 0.01 Cotton v plastic lined napkins.
↵1-152 p < 0.001 Cotton v plastic lined napkins, identical letters mark significant differences between groups (posthoc test: p < 0.05).