Electrophysiologic evaluation of cremasteric reflex in experimental orchitis

Absent cremasteric reflex (CR) is a well known but not reliable sign of testicular torsion. We hypothesized that CR can also be altered in other causes of acute scrotum in children. An experimental study was performed to evaluate the clinical and electrophysiological features of CR in orchitis.

Eighteen Wistar albino rats were allocated into three groups: control (CG), sham (SG) and orchitis (OG). In CG, after anesthetization with ketamine hydrochloride, the medial site of the anterior superior iliac spine was stimulated to obtain CR electrophysiologically, and latency and duration were recorded with a needle electrode placed in the cremasteric muscle. Electrophysiologic evaluations were performed 24 h after injection of 0.1 ml of 10(6) cfu/ml Escherichia coli (0:6 strain) in 1 ml of physiologic saline into the right testicle in OG, and 1 ml of saline only in SG. All testicles were sampled to check for orchitis after the electrophysiologic evaluations.

CR was obtained in all rats in CG and in 83.3% and 66.6% in SG and OG respectively (p < 0.05). The latency of CR was significantly higher in OG (15.1 ± 0.9 ms) and SG (15.5 ± 1.2 ms) than CG (10.5 ± 0.7 ms) (p < 0.017). The duration of CR was 15.1 ± 3.2 ms in CG, 16.2 ± 4.9 ms in SG and 18.5 ± 3 ms in OG (p > 0.05). Histopathologic confirmation of orchitis was obtained in all testicle samples in OG, and number of neutrophils and total orchitis score was significantly higher in OG than the other groups (p < 0.05).

Electrophysiologic parameters of CR may be altered in orchitis. Prolonged latency of CR in orchitis may be due to inflammation of the genitofemoral nerve or cremasteric muscle.