Torsion of the Spermatic Cord in the Newborn

Abstract

TORSION OF THE spermatic cord is rare in the newborn, yet it must be promptly recognized and treated if hemorrhagic infarction and resulting testicular damage are to be prevented. The majority of papers on this subject are found in the surgical literature, whereas pediatricians are usually the first physicians to examine these patients. The purpose of this report is to reacquaint pediatricians with torsion of the spermatic cord in the newborn. The first paper on this subject in the newborn appeared in the British Medical Journal in 1897.¹The first published case in this country appeared in 1937.²Since then 23 cases have been reported in neonates less than 24 hours old. Only eight of these case reports appeared in the pediatric literature. The most recent review of this subject is by Lester and Gummess.³This entity has been called torsion of the spermatic cord, torsion of