Division of the genitofemoral nerve and late orchiectomy: effects on the contralateral testis in ipsilateral testicular torsion

Unilateral torsion of the spermatic cord has been demonstrated to damage th e contralateral testis; however, the pathogenesis has not yet been examined in detail. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of unil ateral torsion on the contralateral testis in rats by performing ipsilatera l division of the genitofemoral nerve (GFN) and/or late orchiectomy. Male 2 5-day-old, prepubertal Wistar albino rats were divided into five groups: (1 ) sham operation; (2) unilateral testicular torsion; (3) simultaneous unila teral testicular torsion and ipsilateral GFN division; (4) unilateral testi cular torsion and orchiectomy on the 4th day after torsion; and (5) simulta neous unilateral testicular torsion and GFN ipsilateral division, and orchi ectomy on the 4th day after torsion. Torsions performed were 720 degrees, a ll on the right testes. On day 55 after torsion, which represents the early postpubertal period of the rat, the contralateral testes were removed. Tub ular biopsy score (TBS) was calculated, and seminiferous tubular diameters (STD) were measured. Student's t-test was used for statistical analysis. Th ere was no contralateral testicular damage in the control group, but in all of the study groups destructive changes were found in the left gonad after torsion of the right testicle. The mean TBS of the study groups was higher than that of the control group. STD values were lower in the study groups, but the differences were not statistically significant between groups. In prepubertal rats, unilateral torsion causes histologically measurable chang es in the contralateral testis. Ipsilateral division of the GFN and late or chiectomy did not cause any significant alterations in terms of contralater al damage. Further investigations are needed to determine the role of the G FN in testicular torsion.