Materials & Methods
This study has been approved by the Clinical Studies Ethics Board of University of Health Sciences, Haydarpasa Numune SUAM (Decision Number: HNEAH-KAEK 2021/KK/138) and the study was conducted in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Testicular torsion cases were retrospectively analyzed through our hospital’s electronic archive system and patients were distributed into 2 groups as “COVID-19 era” (between 11th of March 2020 – March 2021) and “pre-COVID-19 era” (between January 2018 and 10th of March 2020). Ages and laterality of the patients were recorded. Differential diagnosis of all patients was done with scrotal Doppler ultrasound. A written informed consent was taken from all patients prior to procedures. Patients whom manual detorsion were done were recorded and the vascularity of testis was confirmed with scrotal Doppler ultrasound after the procedure. The duration of ischemia was calculated in hours by considering the time between the onset of symptoms and the moment of detorsion (manual or operational). All perioperative findings and applied procedures were recorded. All orchiectomy materials were sent to the pathology department and the results were confirmed as necrotic tissues.
Since preoperative COVID-19 testing could not be done in patients who were operated immediately after diagnosis, emergency operations during pandemic were managed as the operations of COVID-19 positive patients, with taking preventive measures such as N95 masks and necessary personal protective equipments. Preoperative PCR (polymerase-chain reaction) testing was requested to patients whose manual detorsion were successful. Patients who tested negative for COVID-19 were electively operated under safer conditions.