[Ovarian torsion--an unusual cause of childhood urinary retention]

Acute urinary retention in children may be associated with a broad spectrum of different causes. Acute appendicitis or acute ovarian torsion are rare and complicate the diagnosis. The case of a 6-year-old girl with urinary retention caused by ovarian torsion is reported, in which clinical presentation showed nonspecific complaints and ultrasound demonstrated a retrovesical mass. The long-standing ovarian torsion could only be diagnosed by laparotomy. This case once again demonstrates possible difficulties in obtaining a correct diagnosis, especially when imaging techniques reach their limits. Here, the anatomical structures had become so altered by adhesions of the omentum that they were no longer identifiable, rendering the advantageous, non-invasive laparoscopy ineffective. As a result, laparotomy became the most accurate and reliable method for obtaining a correct diagnosis. The occurrence of acute urinary retention with ovarian torsion can be explained by an earlier disturbance of the vegetative nervous system.