Influence of experimental spermatic cord torsion on the contralateral testis in rats. Evaluation of tissue free oxygen radical scavenger enzyme levels.

To evaluate the degree of ischemia formation in the contralateral testicle following unilateral testicular torsion, free oxygen radical formation after detorsion or an orchiectomy procedure in terms of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities was detected in adult male Wistar rats. Animals were divided into 4 groups and following 2 and 6 h of unilateral torsion, the orchiectomy or detorsion procedures were performed and free radical scavenger enzyme activities (SOD, catalase) were measured in the contralateral testes after 24 h, 1 week and 1 month. Evaluation of our results revealed no meaningful ischemia formation in the contralateral testes of rats undergoing 2 h of unilateral testicular torsion. However, animals undergoing 6 h of unilateral testicular torsion demonstrated a statistically significant alteration with respect to enzyme concentrations. Alterations in the contralateral testes were more prominent in animals that had undergone the detorsion procedure following 6 h of testicular torsion. Our results indicate that preservation of twisted testes through a detorsion procedure could cause further deterioration by way of reperfusion injury, indicating the importance of removal of the damaged testicle to minimize long-term histopathologic alterations in the contralateral testes.