Definition
It is a twisting of the spermatic cord that causes an interruption of the blood flow to the testis.
Clinical Features
Age and incidence
This is a common surgical emergency among children and adolescents, with one peak in the neonatal period and the second peak around puberty. It has an incidence of 3,8 per 100,000 males under 18 years with 65% of cases occurring between 12 and 18 years of age (Sharp et al. 2013).
Risk factors
Testicular torsion may be associated with trauma and some congenital conditions (incomplete testicular descent, absent gubernaculum testis, testicular atrophy, and some others).
Presentation
It usually presents with severe testicular pain, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
Treatment
Spermatic cord torsion is a surgical emergency, and it requires an immediate surgical or manual intervention to restore blood flow.
Outcome
To avoid irreversible ischemic damage and the subsequent loss of the involved testis, the torsion must be treated necessarily...
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References and Further Reading
Kao, C.-S., Zhang, C., et al. (2014). Testicular hemorrhage, necrosis, and vasculopathy: Likely manifestations of intermittent torsion that clinically mimic a neoplasm. The American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 38(1), 34–44.
Mikuz, G. (1985). Testicular torsion: Simple grading for histological evaluation of tissue damage. Applied Pathology, 3(3), 134–139.
Sharp, V. J., Kieran, K., & Arlen, A. M. (2013). Testicular torsion: Diagnosis, evaluation, and management. American Family Physician, 88(12), 835–840.
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Fattorini, C., Lopez-Beltran, A., Raspollini, M.R. (2020). Spermatic Cord Torsion and Testicular Infarction. In: Raspollini, M.R., Lopez-Beltran, A. (eds) Uropathology. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41894-6_4946
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41894-6_4946
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