Impact of COVID-19 on testicular torsion:A single-center retrospective study from a children’s hospital
10.4111/icu.20250002
- Author:
Kota FUJIMOTO
;
Beom Yong RHO
;
Si Wook LEE
;
Jae Ok BAEK
;
Yong Seung LEE
;
Sang Woon KIM
- Publication Type:Original Article
- From:
Investigative and Clinical Urology
2026;67(1):72-78
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Purpose:Testicular torsion is a urological emergency necessitating immediate surgical intervention. However, the altered medical environment during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed several challenges and the current study aimed to analyze its effects on the treatment of pediatric testicular torsion cases.
Materials and Methods:We retrospectively analyzed 47 pediatric patients diagnosed with testicular torsion at Severance Children's Hospital from 2009 to 2022. Patients were categorized into pre–COVID-19 (n=38) and COVID-19 (n=8) groups. Data were collected for each patient, and the differences between the two groups were statistically analyzed.
Results:The patients’ median age was from 13 years (range, 1–19 years) to 13 years (range, 1–16 years) between the pre–COVID-19 and COVID-19 period (p=0.309). The analysis revealed a significant difference between the pre–COVID-19 and COVID-19 groups in the time from symptom onset to emergency department arrival (6.4 hours [0.7–120.0] vs. 20.0 hours [1.3–288.0], p=0.031) and the time from symptom onset to surgery start (19.5 hours [4.5–124.3] vs. 28.5 hours [6.1–293.4], p=0.047). The median postoperative size of the affected testis was 9.8 mL (range, 2.0–13.9 mL) during the COVID-19 period, compared to 1.6 mL (range, 0.1–7.3 mL) in pre–COVID-19 period (p=0.012). The testicular volume ratio (affected/unaffected) was used to evaluate outcomes across patients with varying ages and testicular sizes.
Conclusions:The current study shows that pandemic-related delays in treatment may worsen ischemic injury in testicular torsion, emphasizing the importance of timely intervention even during global crises.
