What is testicular torsion?

Testicular torsion is not uncommon nowadays. Testicular torsion is very easy to be misdiagnosed or diagnosed as other diseases, so this disease must be actively dealt with in normal times. Generally, testicular torsion occurs mostly during adolescence, and after the onset of the disease, patients need to pay attention to reducing activities, pay attention to the importance of sleep and sleeping posture, and avoid sexual intercourse and violent disturbances.

What is testicular torsion?

Testicular torsion is not uncommon in clinical practice. It is very easy to be misdiagnosed as acute epididymitis or other diseases at the initial diagnosis. If the diagnosis is not timely, it often leads to testicular necrosis or irreversible testicular atrophy and removal, which in turn causes great physical and psychological impact on the patient. Therefore, early diagnosis and timely surgery are the key.

In acute scrotal disease with scrotal swelling and testicular pain as the main complaint, testicular torsion should be highly suspected if the following features are present:

1. Adolescent acute scrotal disease. Testicular torsion can occur at any age, but is more common in adolescents. According to literature statistics, the incidence rate of adolescents accounts for 65% of all testicular torsion.

2. Onset during sleep or after strenuous activities. Sudden onset of severe testicular pain during sleep or rest is one of the important diagnostic criteria for testicular torsion. Domestic reports show that 60% to 70% of cases occur during sleep, especially at midnight.

3. Vigorous physical labor, sexual life, and cold weather are also factors that induce testicular torsion;

4. A history of short-term similar attacks in the past, characterized by a short duration, and the pain disappears immediately once the pain is reversed;

5. Testicles shift upward or become horizontal, which is caused by the spasm of the levator testis muscle lifting the testicles and the twisting and rotating of the testicles by the spermatic cord, which lifts the scrotum and aggravates the pain instead of relieving it.

6. The levator testis reflex disappears;

7. Color Doppler ultrasound examination: The results show that the affected testicle is enlarged, with uneven echoes and reduced or absent blood flow (pay special attention to the abundant blood flow in some cases!). Color Doppler ultrasound has a positive diagnostic value for testicular torsion. Due to its high sensitivity, intuitiveness, and non-invasiveness, it has become a routine auxiliary examination for scrotal emergencies. We believe that all patients with scrotal emergencies should undergo color Doppler ultrasound examinations whenever possible.