Follow‐up results regarding fixation of contralateral testis after testicular torsion in children

Abstract

The aim is to investigate the possible advantages and disadvantages of contralateral testicular fixation (CTF) for boys with testicular torsion (TT) by long‐term clinical follow‐up results. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on TT boys at Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from September 2005 to December 2020. The baseline characteristics, intraoperative findings, and clinical follow‐up results were compared between TT patients underwent orchiopexy with or without CTF, and orchiectomy with or without CTF, respectively. The χ2 test and the Fisher’s Exact test were used to compare dichotomous outcomes, and the Mann‐Whitney U test was used to compare continuous outcomes without normal distribution. A total of 140 cases were included in this study. The bell clapper deformity was found in 30.4% of all torsed testes underwent orchiopexy, 16.4% during contralateral testicular exploration, and only 10.9% in bilateral sides. Contralateral testicular volume, adverse events, and paternity rates were comparable between patients underwent orchiopexy with or without CTF, and no subsequent contralateral TT observed during follow‐up. However, those patients underwent orchiectomy without CTF had more incidence of scrotal discomfort than those had orchiectomy with CTF (P = 0.027). In addition, one boy suffered subsequent contralateral TT after orchiectomy without CTF. The incidence of bell clapper deformity was lower in this research than that of literature reports. CTF would not induce testicular volume loss, atrophy or scrotal pain. Contralateral testicular discomfort and even subsequent TT could be more easily observed during follow‐up in patients without CTF. We still recommend routine surgical fixation of contralateral testicle during surgery.