Abstract

Among 79 patients with testicular injury as a result of external trauma 5 had bilateral injury. Such injury occurred in only 1 of 66 patients (1.5 per cent) with blunt trauma versus 4 of 13 (31 per cent) with penetrating trauma. Bilateral ruptures were managed by bilateral partial orchiectomy in 2 cases, and orchiectomy with contralateral débridement and suturing in 1. Of 2 patients with unilateral rupture and contralateral contusion the contusions were treated by evacuation of the hematoma and the ruptures were managed by orchiectomy in 1 and partial orchiectomy in the other. Four patients were available for followup. One patient was hormonally anorchid but he obtained normal erections with testosterone cypionate, 1 had normal serum testosterone concentrations but borderline normal semen analysis, and 1 had reduced erections and borderline normal semen. The remaining patient had normal erections and no semen analysis was performed. The nature of the injury rather than the type of treatment appears to be the primary determinant of the outcome in these cases.