eMedicine Specialties > Emergency Medicine > Genitourinary

Testicular Torsion: Follow-up

Author: Timothy J Rupp, MD, FACEP, Associate Medical Director, Physicians Emergency Care Associates, Methodist Health System, Dallas, Texas; Staff Physician, Innovative Emergency Medicine, Frisco, Texas; Staff Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Children's Medical Center of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
Coauthor(s): Mark Zwanger, MD, MBA, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Oct 27, 2009

Follow-up

Transfer

  • Transfer the patient if no urologist is available.

Complications

Complications of testicular torsion may include the following:

  • Infarction of testicle
  • Loss of testicle
  • Infection
  • Infertility secondary to loss of testicle
  • Cosmetic deformity

Prognosis

  • If testicular torsion is diagnosed early, a near 100% salvage rate for the testicle is possible. Orchiopexy is not a guarantee against future torsion, though it does reduce the odds of a future torsion.

Patient Education

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Failure to recognize a urologic emergency
  • Delay in obtaining urologic consultation
  • Misdiagnosing as epididymitis
  • Partial reduction of a torsion (ie, 720°)
 


More on Testicular Torsion

Overview: Testicular Torsion
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Testicular Torsion
Treatment & Medication: Testicular Torsion
Follow-up: Testicular Torsion
Multimedia: Testicular Torsion
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Keywords

testicular torsion, testicular torsion symptoms, testicular torsion treatment, testicular torsion causes, testicular pain, scrotal pain, torsion of testis, torsion of the testes, testicle pain, severe unilateral scrotal pain, scrotal swelling, scrotal erythema, undescended testicle, testicular trauma

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Timothy J Rupp, MD, FACEP, Associate Medical Director, Physicians Emergency Care Associates, Methodist Health System, Dallas, Texas; Staff Physician, Innovative Emergency Medicine, Frisco, Texas; Staff Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Children's Medical Center of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
Timothy J Rupp, MD, FACEP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Texas Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Mark Zwanger, MD, MBA, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University
Mark Zwanger, MD, MBA is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and American Medical Association
Disclosure: Medicines Company Consulting fee Consulting; Pfizer Salary Employment

Medical Editor

Richard S Krause, MD, Senior Faculty, Department of Emergency Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine
Richard S Krause, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Managing Editor

Richard H Sinert, DO, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Research Director, State University of New York College of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Hospital Center
Richard H Sinert, DO is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

John D Halamka, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Jonathan Adler, MD, Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital; Division of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Jonathan Adler, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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