An 11-year-old Chinese boy has lost one of his testicles after it twisted 540 degrees and turned black and purple. Known only as 'Liang Liang', he was admitted to hospital earlier this month after he started walking awkwardly with a limp - the result of pain in his genitals.
Doctors in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, removed the dead testicle during a straightforward operation. However, his chances of ever having his own children have 'most certainly been compromised' as a result.
They found it had twisted by its spermatic cord - the tube that suspends the testicles in the scrotum. This twisting cuts off the blood supply to the organ and is responsible for any pain and swelling, experts say. His testicle was extremely swollen and had burst open at its base slightly because of the pressure it was subjected to.
Liang Liang was admitted to hospital with a pain in his scrotum that was making him walk awkwardly. Doctors found his spermatic cord had twisted - known as testicular torsion (left, an illustration of a normal cord, right, an illustration of the boy's condition) Known as testicular torsion, it can happen after an injury to the scrotum or following strenuous exercise. It can even occur while the person is sleeping, according to the American Urological Association.
Dr Chen Guangjie, at The Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, told his parents that there was 'no value' in retaining the boy's now dead testicle.
In addition, he also discovered that the boy had also been suffering from bilateral cryptorchidism, which is when either one or both - in this case both - testicles do not fully drop into the scrotum after birth. As a result, it had remained partly inside his body and may have contributed to the testicular torsion he suffered.
If infants with the condition are not treated six months after birth at the latest, the chances of recovery are very low, Dr Chen said.
He added: 'Generally speaking, six hours after testicular torsion, patients lose the ability to produce sperm.
'If the angle of the twist is 90 degrees, the testis will die in a week; at 180 degrees that happens within three to four days, and it's 12 to 24 hours at 360 degrees.
'If the spermatic cord twist exceeds 720 degrees, the testis will die within two hours.'
WHAT IS TESTICULAR TORSION?
Testicular torsion is a rare disorder that most frequently affects boys, often around puberty.
It usually needs to be treated as an emergency, with surgeons untwisting the testicle through a small cut in the skin of the scrotum.
It is often caused during physical activity, when the tissue surrounding the testicles has not yet become firmly attached to the scrotum. However, it can also occur while a man sleeps.
If the testicle twists around, it pulls with it the spermatic cord, a narrow bundle of fibres and tissues that runs from inside the abdomen to the testicle, supplying it with blood.
If this remains twisted, it blocks blood flow, causing the testicle to 'die' after around six hours. Then it would have to be removed.
Acute Scrotum: American Urological Association
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