Bilateral xanthogranulomatous orchitis in a tetraplegic patient

Xanthogranulomatous orchitis (XGO) is a rare chronic inflammatory process characterized by destruction of tissue that is replaced by an outstanding cellular infiltrate of lipid-laden macrophages. To date, 20 cases of this process have been reported previously. We present herein the case of a 55-year-old man who had sustained complete tetraplegia at C-6 level and neuropathic bladder for 21 years. After repeated episodes of urinary tract infection, the patient developed a bilateral XGO and a right xanthogranulomatous epididymitis (XGE) that were treated with bilateral orchiepididymectomy. To our knowledge, a bilateral XGO has not yet been reported. Repeated episodes of high-pressure urinary reflux along the vas deferens during dyssynergic voiding possibly led to retrograde extension from the urinary tract by common urinary pathogens and development of bilateral XGO and right XGE. Since tissue destruction is a feature of this process, curative treatment required antibiotic therapy followed by bilateral excision of testes and epididymes.