Purpose: We performed a nationwide epidemiological study of testicular torsion using the National Health Insurance System database for the entire male population of Korea.
Materials and methods: Age, sex, socioeconomic status, regional information, and diagnostic codes were retrieved from January 2009 to December 2019. To clearly identify the diagnosis of testicular torsion, patients who had not undergone orchiectomy or orchiopexy were excluded from the study. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between demographic characteristics and testicular loss.
Results: The overall incidence of testicular torsion in males was 2.02 cases per 100,000 person-years and 6.99 cases per 100,000 person-years in males under 19 years of age. Testicular torsion most commonly occurred either in infancy or adolescence. The total testicular salvage rate was 75.22% and highest in children at 79.91%. The rate of orchiectomy was high in infancy and in the oldest patients. We determined that age distribution was related to the risk of testicular loss.
Conclusions: This study is the first nationwide epidemiological study of testicular torsion, which contains the entire Korean population. Although the testicular salvage rate in Korea was higher compared to other countries, it is necessary to educate males under 19 years of age on the seriousness of acute testicular pain to minimize the possibility of testicular loss.
Keywords: Epidemiology; Orchiectomy; Orchiopexy; Spermatic cord torsion; Testis.
© The Korean Urological Association.