Males should not be ashamed to see a doctor should they feel pain in their testis, as they might miss the best time to treat testicular torsion, a physician said.
Changhua Christian Children’s Hospital deputy director Chien Ta-wei (錢大維) said that a 16-year-old nicknamed Hsiao Ming (小明) reported severe pain in his left testicle, but did not tell his parents because he felt ashamed.
After five days, Hsiao Ming’s mother noticed that he was walking strangely and took him to a doctor.
Hsiao Ming was diagnosed with testicular torsion, a condition in which the spermatic cord twists, restricting the supply of blood to the testes.
However, he had missed the window for treatment.
Doctors had to remove his left testicle and performed an orchiopexy on the right testicle to prevent it from developing the same condition.
Chien said the hospital has seen the condition in a one-year-old, who also lost his left testicle.
Testicular torsion affects about one in 4,000 adolescents, often occurring at puberty, with an increased likelihood at age 13 or 14, Chien said.
It occurs due to a congenital malformation of the testes, Chien said. Being improperly connected to the scrotum, they have more freedom to move or twist.
Symptoms include sudden, severe, testicular pain and tenderness, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, he said.
A testicle might shift to a higher-than-normal position, he added.
If the condition is treated within six hours of symptoms arising, there is a 90 percent chance of relieving the twist with surgery, but the chances of untangling a testicle drops to 20 to 50 percent after 12 hours to one day, he said.
Surgical success rates drop to 10 percent or lower after that, Chien said.
The condition cannot be prevented, he said.
Adolescents or babies with a swollen testis or pain in the region — which could cause vomiting — should visit a doctor immediately.
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