Abstract

• Acute scrotum is any pathologic condition of the scrotum or intrascrotal contents that requires emergency medical or surgical management. Among the acute scrotum acute epididymitis and spermatic cord torsion are most difficult to differentiate each other because of their similar symptoms and sings.
  Clinical analysis was undertaken on 45 patients with acute epididymitis and spermatic cord torsion.
  The following results were obtained.
  1) There were 36 patients with acute epididymitis and 9 spermatic cord torsion.
  2) Mean ages were 32.6 year old in acute epidiymitis and 12.5 spermatic cord torsion.
  3) Symptoms and sings showed no significant differences from each other, but Prehn's sign was somewhat useful.
  4) In 5 patients with spermatic cord torsion that had arrived to the hospital within 24 hours from onset of symptoms, the testis could be saved.
  5) Testicular scan with 99mTc-pertechnetate was performed in 17 patients and the diagnostic accuracy was 94%.
  6) Twenty-one patients with acute epididymitis had urinary tract infections and 3 spermatic cord torsion had cryptorchidisms.