Infected infarcts of the testis: a study of 18 cases preceded by pyogenic epididymoorchitis.

Eighteen cases of infected infarcts of the testis are presented, and evidence is put forward that these result from venous occlusions in the epididymis and cord. The venous lesions probably result from thrombosis during the course of an attack of epididymoorchitis. Granulomatous orchitis was present in some part of half of the orchidectomy specimens, and the clinical histories, bacteriological findings, and histological data all suggest that this form of inflammation results from pyogenic infection of the testicle. What the factor is which determines whether the inflammation is granulomatous or not is unknown.