Testicular Torsion in Patients With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Patients with intellectual/developmental disabilities are at risk of delayed diagnosis of testicular torsion due to their inability to effectively communicate their symptoms. We identified males ages 1 to 18 years with testicular torsion between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2020, focusing on pat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lisa B. E. Shields MD (Author), Michael W. Daniels MS (Author), Dennis S. Peppas MD (Author), Eran Rosenberg MD (Author)
Format: Book
Published: SAGE Publishing, 2021-11-01T00:00:00Z.
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Summary:Patients with intellectual/developmental disabilities are at risk of delayed diagnosis of testicular torsion due to their inability to effectively communicate their symptoms. We identified males ages 1 to 18 years with testicular torsion between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2020, focusing on patients with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Of the 140 patients with testicular torsion, 5 (3.6%) patients exhibited intellectual/developmental disabilities with an inability to effectively verbalize testicular/groin/scrotal pain. The patients with intellectual/developmental disabilities underwent more orchiectomies (5/5, 100%, P  = .009) and had a longer duration of symptoms (median = 48 hours, P  = .047) compared to those without intellectual/developmental disabilities (51/135, 38% and median = 9 hours, respectively) (51/134, 38%) ( P  = .038). Parents and other caregivers of males with intellectual/developmental disabilities who are unable to adequately verbalize their testicular/groin/scrotal pain should be cognizant of the signs and symptoms associated with testicular torsion, perform a genitalia examination, and seek an immediate evaluation to diagnose and treat this urgent condition.
Item Description:2333-794X
10.1177/2333794X211059119