Testicular infarction in the newborn: ultrasound findings

Three patients with neonatal testicular torsion and infarction (two bilateral, one unilateral) are presented with a distinctive sonographic appearance. All five testes appeared inhomogeneously hypoechoic and each was surrounded by a brightly echogenic rim. Whereas surgical exploration was required in the past to establish the diagnosis of testicular infarction in the neonate, sonographic demonstration of the abnormality in the appearance of the testicular parenchyma permits nonoperative diagnosis. Because surgical salvage of the testis in the setting of neonatal extravaginal torsion is thought to be quite rare, the necessity of removing the testis is less clear when the diagnosis is established preoperatively.