ACUTE TESTICULAR PAIN

Key words: Acute testicular pain, Torsion of the testes, Orchitis, Epididymitis, Torsion of the appendix testis

The Authors present their personal experience in managing children with acute testicular pain. They performed a surgical exploration in 50 children with acute testicular pain, who had been consecutively seen in their department during the last ten years. All but two (for which the final diagnosis was orchitis) had torsion of the testes or of the appendix testis. They conclude that the most frequent cause of acute testicular pain during childhood is the torsion of the testes or of appendix testis, while orchitis is very rare. Since the clinical presentation can not safely differentiate orchitis from testicular torsion, the Authors recommend that all children with acute testicular pain undergo surgical exploration.