Background Testicular torsion is a true urological emergency that occurs when the testes twists around the spermatic cord, cutting off its blood supply. The failure to diagnose testicular torsion is a common medicolegal pitfall due to the uncertainty and urgency of the diagnosis and the potential for testicular loss. In this study, we examined the current medicolegal cases that involved testicular torsion using the LexisNexis database for all cases from 2014 to 2022, using the search terms “testicular torsion” and “medical malpractice”. Our final examination included a total of 20 cases.
Results Trends reveal that Emergency doctors and urologists are the most commonly named defendants. Adults and incarcerated persons are common plaintiffs. The average time from presentation to diagnosis of testicular torsion was 8 ±13 days. The right testicle was the most commonly implicated, and a misdiagnosis was a commonly cited. The average time from testicular torsion diagnosis to filing a case was 4.35 years.
Conclusions Trends reaffirm that testicular torsion remains a high risk of litigation diagnosis, and continued training and education may be needed to remedy the medicolegal pitfalls for this emergency condition.
Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.
Funding StatementThis study did not receive any funding
Author DeclarationsI confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
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The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
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I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.
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I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).
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I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.
Yes
Data AvailabilityAll data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors
List of abbreviationsTTTesticular TorsionUSUltrasound
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