Does Elastography Have a Place in Evaluating Tissue Stiffness in Testicular Torsion?

Abstract

Background: One of the most important urologic emergencies is testicular torsion in children. Elastography is as an objective method in diagnosis and treatment of testicular torsion, with grayscale and colored images. Our study presents an original framework, which may guide certain research and practices in this field. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound (US)-elastography for the diagnostic performance of testicular torsion. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 16 male white New Zealand rabbits of the same weight and age were selected and divided into two groups. In group I, the right testicle was fixed, and in group II, the right testicle underwent 720° torsion in a counterclockwise direction and fixed. Following 1 and 2 hours of ischemia, measurements of the right and left testicles were performed simultaneously. The left testicle was measured again after 24 hours in order to better observe the changes that right testicular ischemia might have had on the left testicle. Results: A statistically significant increase was detected in the elastography values of the right testicle at 1, 2, and 24 hours (P < 0.05). Elastography values were significantly increased in the left testicle after 24 hours (P < 0.05). The elastographic measurement values of the testicular tissue increased significantly with the increase in the duration of ischemia. Conclusion: With the width of its imaging window and healthy evaluation opportunity, elastography is a method in determining tissue stiffness of unilateral and contralateral testicular structures. In this study, the efficacy of elastography was evaluated. As a future research, further studies are needed to evaluate the elastography values in epididmo-orchitis and other causes of acute scrotum.