Male emergencies – testicular torsion

Testicular torsion, also known as spermatic cord torsion, can occur at all ages, but is most common in adolescence. As the spermatic cord twists, the blood vessels in the spermatic cord also twist, resulting in impaired blood circulation to the testes, causing ischemia or necrosis of the testes, which is an emergency requiring urgent treatment. The etiology of this disease is mainly due to congenital anatomical factors, while acquired causative factors, also have a role to play. The anatomical factors are as follows: (1) the sheath wall layer is too high at the stop of the spermatic cord; (2) the testicular tether is too long or the testicular lead is too long or missing to increase the mobility of the testis; (3) a small part of the posterior lateral side of the normal testicular epididymis is not covered by the sheath and is directly attached to the scrotal wall, when the testicular epididymis is completely surrounded by the sheath and lacks this fixation, testicular torsion is likely to occur. There are various acquired triggers: ① the testicular torsion can be triggered by contraction of the testicular muscle during sleep, sexual intercourse or masturbation with the erection of the penis; ② testicular torsion can be triggered by various strong exercises that increase abdominal pressure, such as heavy physical labor, coughing and various athletic events. The typical symptom of testicular torsion is sudden onset of testicular pain in one side of the scrotum, which is persistent and may intensify and radiate to the groin and lower abdomen, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and redness and swelling of the scrotum. Due to spasm of the levator muscle and torsional shortening of the spermatic cord, the testicle is displaced upward or into a transverse position. If the pain is increased by elevating the scrotum, it is an important feature of this disease. Mild incomplete torsion may be associated with only mild discomfort and a small amount of fluid accumulation. In cases of testicular torsion, a trial of manual repositioning can be performed at first, but the results are not certain. The specific method is: rotate the testicle clockwise, if the pain increases, it proves that it does not work; then rotate counterclockwise to see if the pain can be reduced, if reduced, the reset is successful. If the pain decreases, the repositioning is successful. If the repositioning fails, emergency surgery is required. If the testicle is operated within 4 hours after the onset of the disease, the testicle can be preserved, but if the onset of the disease exceeds 10 hours, the spermatogenic and endocrine functions of the affected testicle will be completely destroyed and the value of preservation will be lost. This requires patients to seek medical attention early, especially to remind everyone that once this sudden testicular pain occurs, it is important to seek medical attention early to timely, do not avoid the disease and delay treatment, resulting in lifelong regrets.