Academic Journal
Living with one: Mental health, body image and fertility concerns after orchiectomy for testicular torsion.
| Τίτλος: | Living with one: Mental health, body image and fertility concerns after orchiectomy for testicular torsion. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Shokaier G; Department of Urology, Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel. Electronic address: gabisho@clalit.org.il., Gross M; Department of Urology, Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel., Shahak Y; Department of Psychiatry, Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel., Izhaki I; Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel., Boulos O; Department of Pediatrics, Bnai Zion Hospital, Haifa, Israel., Hussein A; Department of Urology, Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel. |
| Πηγή: | Journal of pediatric urology [J Pediatr Urol] 2026 Aug; Vol. 22 (4), pp. 105976. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Apr 22. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101233150 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-4898 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14775131 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Pediatr Urol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Kidlington, Oxford, UK : Elsevier, c2005- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Spermatic Cord Torsion*/surgery , Spermatic Cord Torsion*/psychology , Orchiectomy*/psychology , Body Image*/psychology , Fertility* , Mental Health*, Orchiopexy/psychology ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Adult |
| Περίληψη: | Objective: Testicular torsion in childhood and adolescence is a urological emergency that may necessitate orchiectomy. The long-term impact of orchiectomy on psychological well-being, body image, and fertility concerns remains poorly defined. This study aimed to evaluate the psychosocial and sexual consequences of orchiectomy following torsion, compared with patients who underwent orchiopexy alone. Methods: A retrospective single-center study included 54 men, who underwent surgery for torsion between 2013 and 2023. Participants were healthy, with no prior psychiatric history. Validated questionnaires, DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale), IIEF-5 were administered. Subgroup analysis assessed the impact of testicular prosthesis placement. Results: Twenty-seven patients had undergone orchiectomy and 27 orchiopexy. Mean (±S.D.) age at surgery was 16.8 ± 7.1 and 16.9 ± 4.2 years, respectively. Mean follow-up age was 27.6 ± 5.9 years. Orchiectomy was associated with significantly higher anxiety (11.9 ± 3.0, p < 0.001) and stress scores (18.4 ± 4.5, p < 0.001). All orchiopexy patients were within normal range on all DASS-21 subscales. Sexual function (IIEF-5) showed no significant difference (29.4 ± 2.2 vs. 30.0 ± 0.0, p = 0.15). Body image dissatisfaction was reported by 89% (24/27) of orchiectomy patients, all explicitly attributing it to testicular loss. The most frequent concern was fear of future infertility. Prosthesis implantation improved self-perceived body image but did not significantly mitigate anxiety or stress. Conclusions: Orchiectomy for torsion exerts a measurable and enduring psychosocial burden, manifesting as moderate anxiety, mild stress, and high rates of body image dissatisfaction. Testicular prosthesis placement enhances appearance-related satisfaction but does not normalize emotional distress. Comprehensive post-torsion care should include psychological and fertility counselling to address the multidimensional impact of testicular loss. (Copyright © 2026 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Anxiety; Body image; Fertility; Orchiectomy; Testicular torsion |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260508 Date Completed: 20260715 Latest Revision: 20260715 |
| Update Code: | 20260716 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jpurol.2026.105976 |
| PMID: | 42102798 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-4898 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jpurol.2026.105976 |