Introduction

The three most important details to obtain are the patient’s age, the description of the pain and a sexual history.⁸ No single factor in the history can reliably distinguish torsion. 

Age

As shown in table 1, different age groups make certain diagnoses more likely. Testicular Torsion has a bi-modal distribution typically presenting in neonates and post puberty. Appendiceal torsion is more common in pre-pubertal boys.  

Table 1: The age distribution for common causes of acute scrotal pain found at exploration. Adapted⁹

Learning Bite

Testicular Torsion can present at any age but is less common in the elderly.