a. intravaginal torsion; b. supravaginal torsion; c. mesorchial torsion
Testicular torsion occurs when the testicle twists in the scrotum, causing the blood vessels in the spermatic cord to twist shut. It is very serious, and if emergency surgery is not performed within four to six hours, it is quite possible that the testicle will be lost. This is why any sudden or acute pain in the testicles that lasts for more than ten minutes should result in an immediate trip to the emergency room.
Torsion happens more often in teenagers, but adult males can get it as well. The potential for torsion is created when the testicle is not properly anchored in the scrotum. The three most common types of testicular torsion are illustrated above.
[Twisted testicles in the illustration above are modeled after the illustrations in the excellent book Imaging of the Scrotum, by Hricak, Hamm & Kim, Raven Press, (1995).]