Parent & Patient Information System 06/09/2015 Page13 / 51 The doctor also might perform tests to determine if the spermatic cord is twisted, including ultrasound to make images of the testicle and to check its blood flow. Urine and blood tests might help in determining whether symptoms are being caused by an infection instead of a torsion. Sometimes, it will be necessary for the doctor to perform surgery to make a diagnosis of testicular torsion. Other times, when the physical exam clearly points to a torsion, the doctor will perform emergency surgery without any other testing in order to save the testicle. Saving a testicle becomes more difficult the longer the spermatic cord stays twisted. The degree of twisting (whether it's one entire revolution or several) determines how quickly the testicle will become damaged. As a general rule, after 6 hours, the testicle can be saved 90% of the time; after 12 hours, this drops to 50%; after 24 hours, the testicle can be saved only 10% of the time. Treatment Testicular torsion almost always requires surgery to fix. In rare cases, the doctor may be able to untwist the spermatic cord by physically manipulating the scrotum, but surgery will generally still be needed to attach one or both testicles to the scrotum to prevent torsion from happening again. Usually, if your son has a torsion, he'll be given a painkiller and a general anesthetic that will make him unconscious for the procedure.
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