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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffYour doctor will ask you a number of questions to verify whether your signs and symptoms are caused by testicular torsion or something else. He or she will also examine your scrotum, testicles, abdomen and groin.
Your doctor may also test your reflexes by lightly rubbing or pinching the inside of your thigh on the affected side. Normally this causes the testicle to contract. This reflex probably won't occur if you have testicular torsion.
Doctors often diagnose testicular torsion with just a physical exam. Sometimes medical tests are necessary to confirm a diagnosis or to help identify another cause for your symptoms. These include:
- Urine tests or blood tests, to see whether your signs and symptoms are caused by an infection.
- Scrotal ultrasound, which uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of your testicle and check for blood flow. Decreased blood flow to the testicle is a sign of testicular torsion.
- Nuclear scan of the testicles, which involves injecting tiny amounts of radioactive material into your bloodstream. Special cameras then can detect areas in your testicles that receive less blood flow, indicating torsion.
- Surgery. Sometimes surgery is necessary to identify whether symptoms are caused by testicular torsion or another condition. If you've had pain for several hours and your physical exam suggests testicular torsion, you may be taken directly to surgery without any additional testing. This is done in an attempt to save the testicle, because doing further testing might cause too much of a delay if there's no blood flowing to your testicle.
- Tiemstra JD. Evaluation of scrotal masses. American Family Physician. 2008;78:1165.
- Leslie JA, et al. Pediatric urologic emergencies and urgencies. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2006;53:513.
- Schneck FX, et al. Abnormalities of the testes and scrotum and their surgical management. In: Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/171051125-2/913428548/1445/130.html?printi. Accessed Nov. 6, 2009.
- Testicular torsion. American Urological Association Foundation. http://www.urologyhealth.org/search/index.cfm?topic=134&search=men&searchtype=and. Accessed Nov. 13, 2009.
- Hittelman A. Neonatal testicular torsion. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 3, 2009.
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