Testicular torsion in infants: Causes, symptoms and treatment

This article is professionally consulted by Resident Doctor, Doctor Nguyen Hung Tien - Resident Doctor of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital. The doctor has more than 8 years of experience in the field of Pediatrics - Neonatology.

Testicular torsion in infants is a fairly dangerous disease, the disease can affect both children and adults. Currently, testicular torsion is increasingly becoming a major threat to the reproductive health and comprehensive development of boys. Therefore, testicular torsion should be detected and treated promptly so as not to leave sequelae.

When first formed in the fetus, the boy's testicles are located next to the two kidneys and then gradually come out of the abdomen since the fetus is 3 months old. When a baby is born, each testicle is attached to the abdomen by a long stem of blood vessels called the spermatic cord. When the spermatic cord is twisted, it will block the blood supply to the testicle, also known as testicular torsion.
Currently, the exact cause of testicular torsion in newborns has not been found, but it depends on each specific case:
One of the factors that easily leads to this phenomenon is the sudden change in internal organs. hormones in the body during puberty. In addition, because the testicles are too mobile, the result is that the testicles are dangling in the scrotum like a pendulum, more prone to torsion. Gradually, the testicles will be more firmly fixed. This is also the reason why testicular torsion is more common in children and puberty.
Therefore, to prevent testicular torsion in infants, it is necessary to check the baby's testicles and scrotum regularly. If the testicle is only on one side, the parents need to take it to the hospital for a timely examination.

To recognize testicular torsion in infants, parents can rely on typical symptoms such as:
High fever: Children with testicular torsion often have a high fever (may have a fever above 39 degrees Celsius), a high fever day, fever at night, even accompanied by convulsions. Anorexia, fussiness: Due to the continuous pain of the disease, children lose their appetite, pale skin, weak body and often cry. Swollen and painful testicles: The child has unusual painful swelling of the testicles (maybe swelling in one or both testicles), lumps, and palpable solids. If parents accidentally touch or change the sitting position, the baby will be hurt and cry. The pain is different at each stage, can be dull, intense, spreading throughout the abdomen and extending down to the thighs. In addition, parents can see that the child's scrotal skin is dark red, painful, wrinkled and sagging, and the skin feels hot to the touch. In addition to the sudden pain and cramping, children often have nausea, vomiting, and pain that spreads to the abdomen, groin and two sides of the groin.
The position of the testicle is not fixed, it can be raised up in the direction of the spermatic cord. Besides, it is easy for mothers to confuse testicular torsion with inguinal hernia because this disease also causes testicles to swell.
If you see these signs in a boy, parents should think that the child may have testicular torsion and quickly take the child to medical facilities for emergency examination and surgery.

Currently, the most effective treatment for testicular torsion is surgical removal of testicular torsion. This is a minimally invasive, less complicated surgery.
Surgery to remove the torsion will help restore blood supply to the testicles. Doctors also prevent recurrent testicular torsion by immobilizing the testicle, and preventing torsion of the opposite spermatic cord by immobilizing the testicle. Infants alone do not need urgent surgery to immobilize the remaining testicle and can delay this for several months.
Surgical procedure to remove testicular torsion:
Endotracheal anesthesia or slit anesthesia combined with inhalation anesthesia with Sevoflurance. Incision: Usually the horizontal line in the umbilicus - pubic fold on the same side. Evaluation of torsion and lesion type. Untwist and fix the testicle: when the testicle is removed, the color returns to normal. Removal: when the testicle shows signs of necrosis. Probing contralateral side: can proceed and immobilize testicle. Detecting testicular torsion in newborns is very important because it helps the mother grasp the best time for treatment for her baby, and just with minor surgery to remove the torsion, the structure will still be preserved. normal of the testicles. Only cases of undetected symptoms of testicular torsion early lead to the risk of necrosis and surgical removal of the testicle.

As a key area of ​​Vinmec Medical system, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering a team of leading pediatricians: including leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. Doctors All are well-trained, professional, with a mind - range, understanding young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. upon reaching adulthood. Advanced techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - craniofacial surgery, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.