Bilateral Simultaneous Testicular Torsion in a Newborn: Report of a Case

Testicular torsion is a urological emergency. If not recognized in time, this condition may result in ischaemic injury and loss of testis. Simultaneous bilateral neonatal testicular torsion is extremely rare and is usually misdiagnosed.

We report a case of a male newborn, who presented with bilateral scrotal swelling and redness of the scrotum. Doppler ultrasound supported the diagnosis of bilateral testicular torsion, with an absent blood flow signal on the right side and a weak signal on the left side. Testicular exploration through scrotal incision was performed and bilateral testicular torsion was found. Right testis was grossly gangrenous, and right orchiectomy was performed. Left testicle was dark but showed recovery after detorsion with some bleeding from incised tunica albugenia. Fixation of the left testicle was performed. At six month follow-up, the left testis showed signs of atrophy and hormonal assay showed very low testosterone and elevated LH and FSH, suggesting hypogonadism.

Management of neonatal testicular torsion is a matter of controversy. Testicular torsion results into acute ischemia and urgent surgical exploration is the key point of management. Although the possibility of salvaging the involved testicles is usually very low it is hard to justify a passive approach to a bilateral torsion resulting in such a devastating condition as anorchia.