Ipsilateral testicular necrosis and atrophy after 1,080-degree torsion of the spermatic cord in rats

Abstract

PURPOSE: To assess the incidence of testicular necrosis/atrophy immediately after 1 to 4 hours of 1,080-degree torsion of the spermatic cord, and 60 days after detorsion of the spermatic cord. METHODS: 42 rats were divided in 7 groups. Except for the control group, surgical torsion of the right spermatic cord was performed in all groups (T0). After 1, 2, or 4 hours of torsion, each group underwent either ipsilateral orchiectomy (groups OT1, OT2, and OT4), or detorsion of the spermatic cord and observation for 60 days (groups DT1, DT2, and DT4), before they were evaluated for the presence of testicular necrosis/atrophy. RESULTS: Only one rat (5.5%) in groups OT1, OT2, and OT4 had testicular necrosis, in comparison with six rats (33.3%) in groups DT1, DT2, and DT4 (p=0.04). The incidence of testicular necrosis/atrophy was not different between subgroups T1, T2, and T4, and the control group (p>0.05). There was, however, a tendency toward greater incidence of necrosis/atrophy in the rats in group DT4. CONCLUSION: The incidence of testicular necrosis/atrophy immediately after 1 to 4 hours of 1,080-degree torsion of the spermatic cord is 5.5%, in comparison with 33.3% sixty days after detorsion of the spermatic cord.

Long-term effects of the testicular torsion on the spermatogenesis of the contralateral testis and the preventive value of the twisted testis orchiepididymectomy

“…So, this study used a high level of 1.080 degrees of left testicular torsion, for different periods of time, to exacerbate the damage to the spermatogenesis of both testes. This high degree of torsion exhibited the expected histological stages of the coagulation necrosis of the ipsilateral testicular parenchyma (Figure 3), as we already observed in a previous study 24 using the same degree of testicular torsion in adult rats.…”

Antioxidants in experimental ischemia-reperfusion injury of the testis: Where are we heading towards?

“…However, conflicting results are raised due to different animal species, such as rats or pigs, model of I/R injury, age, and technique that has been performed to evaluate the I/R damage[69]. Furthermore, several experimental studies proposed that the contralateral testis is not affected by unilateral torsion[70-72].…”

Beneficial effects of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate on ischemia-reperfusion testicular injury in rats

“…In general, 720°of unilateral testicular torsion for at least 4 hours is needed to cause a sufficient amount of testicular tissue injury in experimental models [4]. Clamping or ligation of the spermatic cord can produce a more severe and reproducible decrease in blood flow than 720°of torsion [43,44]. Therefore, ischemia was achieved in the present study by ligating the upper part of the scrotum for 4 hours.…”