Doctors in Dongguan, China, are urging people not to ignore severe testicular pain after a young man lost one of his testicles because he waited two days before seeking medical treatment.
According to Dongkeng Hospital in Guangdong Province, the patient, identified only as Xiao Li, was admitted after experiencing persistent pain in his left testicle for two days.
During emergency surgery, doctors discovered that his left testicle had twisted approximately 360 degrees, cutting off its blood supply. The testicle and epididymis had already turned dark purple, indicating severe tissue damage.
Although surgeons attempted to untwist the spermatic cord and restore blood flow, the testicle showed no signs of recovery and was confirmed to have died due to prolonged oxygen deprivation.
With the family’s consent, doctors removed the damaged testicle. They also performed a preventive fixation procedure on the right testicle to reduce the risk of the same condition occurring in the future.
The condition, known medically as testicular torsion, is a urological emergency that occurs when the spermatic cord twists, blocking blood flow to the testicle. Without immediate treatment, permanent damage can occur within hours.
Doctors said the condition most commonly affects newborns and teenagers aged between 12 and 18, and can develop suddenly during sleep, after strenuous exercise, following trauma, exposure to cold temperatures or sudden body movements.
Hospital specialists warned that symptoms include sudden severe pain in one testicle, swelling, redness, tenderness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fever. In some cases, the pain may spread to the groin or lower abdomen, causing it to be mistaken for stomach-related illnesses.
They added that many teenagers delay seeking treatment because they feel embarrassed to talk about pain in their private area, increasing the risk of permanent injury.
Doctors stressed that the first six hours after symptoms begin are the critical window for treatment. Surgery performed within this period can save the affected testicle in more than 90% of cases.
The success rate drops to around 50% after six to 12 hours, while patients who wait longer than 24 hours often suffer irreversible tissue death, leaving removal of the testicle as the only option.
Although losing one testicle generally does not affect male hormones or fertility if the remaining testicle is healthy, doctors recommend securing the unaffected testicle during surgery to help prevent future torsion.
