Testicular blood flow in experimental torsion and epididymo-orchitis measured by 133Xe clearance technique in rabbits

Testicular Torsion and Spermatogenesis

Testicular torsion (TT) is a common urologic emergency that can occur at any age. It is most common in newborns and during puberty. Prompt evaluation and management is required to salvage the testis following an episode of torsion. TT brings about damage to testicular tissue and spermatogenesis through various hypothesized mechanisms; however there is a consensus that the effects of ischemia, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and oxidative stress account for the most destructive effects. Numerous studies have examined the effects of various agents and therapies in limiting the effects of TT on the testis.

Ipsilateral testicular necrosis and atrophy after 1,080-degree torsion of the spermatic cord in rats

PURPOSE

To assess the incidence of testicular necrosis/atrophy immediately after 1 to 4 hours of 1,080-degree torsion of the spermatic cord, and 60 days after detorsion of the spermatic cord.

METHODS

42 rats were divided in 7 groups. Except for the control group, surgical torsion of the right spermatic cord was performed in all groups (T0). After 1, 2, or 4 hours of torsion, each group underwent either ipsilateral orchiectomy (groups OT1, OT2, and OT4), or detorsion of the spermatic cord and observation for 60 days (groups DT1, DT2, and DT4), before they were evaluated for the presence of testicular necrosis/atrophy.

RESULTS

Only one rat (5.5%) in groups OT1, OT2, and OT4 had testicular necrosis, in comparison with six rats (33.3%) in groups DT1, DT2, and DT4 (p=0.04). The incidence of testicular necrosis/atrophy was not different between subgroups T1, T2, and T4, and the control group (p>0.05). There was, however, a tendency toward greater incidence of necrosis/atrophy in the rats in group DT4.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of testicular necrosis/atrophy immediately after 1 to 4 hours of 1,080-degree torsion of the spermatic cord is 5.5%, in comparison with 33.3% sixty days after detorsion of the spermatic cord.

Ultrastructural and hormonal changes in the contralateral adrenal gland in unilateral adrenal gland ischemia: an experimental study in rats

While it is well known that unilateral tissue ischemia may result in contralateral damage in some paired organs, there is no universally accepted mechanism to explain why these contralateral changes occur. The aim of the present study was to investigate the ultrastructural and hormonal changes that occur in the contralateral nonischemic adrenal gland after unilateral ischemia of an adrenal gland in a rat model. The animals were divided into four groups of four rats each; namely, a control group which received a sham operation without any ischemic insult, a 2-h ischemic group, a 4-h ischemic group, and an 8-h ischemic group. The left adrenal blood vessels were ligated in all ischemia groups and blood samples were taken for hormonal study 2, 4, and 8 h later, after which bilateral adrenalectomy was performed to determine the ultrastructural changes. The plasma concentrations of aldosterone and cortisol were determined by radioimmunoassays. There was an increase in both aldosterone and cortisol levels related to the duration of the ischemia, but the differences among the groups were not statistically significant. Contralateral ultrastructural damage such as heterochromatin in nuclei, mitochondrial degeneration, endoplasmic reticulum cisternal widening, increased lipid droplets, and lysosomes, were demonstrated electron-microscopically after unilateral adrenal ischemia.