Testicular infarction becoming apparent after hernia reduction

Abstract

Background: Testicular infarction from an incarcerated inguinal hernia is a rare event in children, often not considered in the initial evaluation.

Objective: To report a case that describes the presentation, diagnosis, and management of testicular infarction in the setting of an incarcerated inguinal hernia.

Case report: A 2-month old boy was brought to the Emergency Department (ED) by his parents for vomiting, crying, and a left-sided scrotal swelling. An inguinal hernia was manually reduced successfully in the ED. Subsequently, scrotal ultrasound with color Doppler was obtained, demonstrating no blood flow to the left testis. The patient underwent a left orchiectomy and right orchiopexy with hernia repair.

Discussion: Testicular injury can occur from torsion due to the effect of an incarcerated hernia or due to ischemia from cord compression. Delay in diagnosis and surgery risks testicular viability, therefore, surgery should not be delayed for imaging in the presence of strong suspicion of torsion.

Conclusions: The diagnosis of testicular torsion is not always straightforward because many conditions may have a similar clinical presentation or may compromise testicular blood supply. This case is an unusual presentation of testicular infarction in the setting of an incarcerated inguinal hernia.