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What is testicular torsion?

What causes testicular torsion?

What are the symptoms of testicular torsion?

How can doctors tell if I have testicular torsion?

How do doctors treat testicular torsion?

Penis and Testicle Disorders

Epididymitis and Epididymo-orchitis

Phimosis and Paraphimosis

Testicular Torsion

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

When to stop breastfeeding (wean the infant) depends on the needs and desires of both mother and baby. However, it is preferable for a mother to wait until the infant is at least how many months old before completely weaning?

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Testicular Torsion

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The Manual's Editorial Staff

Last full review/revision Jan 2020| Content last modified Jan 2020

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Male Reproductive Organs

What Is Testicular Torsion?

The Testes and Scrotum

The testicles are the oval-shaped pair of organs that sit in the sac below a man's penis. The testicles make sperm. Sperm are stored in the epididymis, which is a coiled tube on top of each testicle. The epididymis is connected to the spermatic cord. The spermatic cord carries sperm from the epididymis into the body and contains many blood vessels and nerves.

Testicular torsion is when the spermatic cord above your testicle twists, cutting off blood flow to your testicle.

Testicular torsion can happen at any age, but it most often happens to boys ages 12 to 18 or babies
Without blood supply, the tissue of your testicle can die in a few hours

See a doctor right away if you think you have testicular torsion. It's a medical emergency.

Male Reproductive Organs

What Is Testicular Torsion?

Doctors don't always know what causes testicular torsion. Some men have an inherited condition in which the spermatic cord grows abnormally. It may also happen after a groin injury, during sleep, or being out in cold weather.

Testicular torsion causes:

Severe pain in one testicle and sometimes in the belly area
Sudden swelling of the testicle
Feeling sick and throwing up
Fever
Needing to urinate often

Doctors suspect testicular torsion based on your symptoms and physical examination. To confirm the diagnosis, they'll do:

An ultrasound to look for cut-off blood flow

Doctors may try to untwist the testicle by turning it by hand. If this works, your doctor will do surgery later to keep the testicle from twisting again. If it doesn’t work, your doctor will do surgery right away to untwist the testicle. During surgery, your doctor will sew both testicles so that they can't twist again.

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Phimosis and Paraphimosis

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Overview of the Male Reproductive System

Testicular Torsion

Orchitis

Epididymitis and Epididymo-orchitis

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