Final answer:
When performing a genitourinary assessment on a 16-year-old male adolescent, the nurse notices a swelling in the scrotum that increases with increased intra-abdominal pressure and decreases when he is lying down. The patient complains of pain when straining. The nurse knows that this description is most consistent with an indirect inguinal hernia. The correct answer is option: d. Indirect inguinal
Step-by-step explanation:
When performing a genitourinary assessment on a 16-year-old male adolescent, the nurse notices a swelling in the scrotum that increases with increased intra-abdominal pressure and decreases when the patient is lying down, and the patient complains of pain when straining.
This description is most consistent with a indirect inguinal hernia. Unlike other hernias, an indirect inguinal hernia is caused by a protrusion of abdominal contents through the inguinal canal into the scrotum, which can be exacerbated by activities that increase intra-abdominal pressure and often subsides when the patient is reclining.
Other conditions that could cause swelling in the scrotum include testicular cancer, epididymitis, or orchitis. However, the characteristic fluctuation with abdominal pressure and pain when straining strongly suggests that an indirect inguinal hernia is the most likely diagnosis in this scenario.