Causes of delayed exploration of the acute scrotum in a regional tertiary centre

Background:

Testicular torsion is an organ-threatening surgical emergency with a limited timeframe for intervention.

Objective:

To identify the delays to surgical exploration of patients with an acute scrotum in a tertiary hospital to prevent adverse outcomes associated with this time critical emergency.

Methods:

A retrospective review of medical records for all patients who underwent scrotal exploration for acute scrotal pain in a tertiary hospital in regional New South Wales between January 2008 to December 2018 was performed.

Results:

Retrospective review identified 242 patients, of whom 161 had testicular torsion and 56 resultant orchidectomies. No statistically significant difference in pre-hospital delays between paediatric or adult populations was found. The average time from presentation to theatre was 4 h 36 min. Patients who were delayed > 6 h from presentation to surgical exploration had significantly increased rates of orchidectomy. Delays that significantly affected rates of orchidectomy were transfer from peripheral sites, late presentation, misdiagnosis and representation after discharge.

Conclusion:

The most common reason for delay was diagnostic error with the patient later re-presenting to hospital. Patient transfer from the primary hospital to a tertiary institution and subsequent delayed surgical exploration also contributed to significantly higher rates of orchidectomy.

Level of Evidence: 3