Histopathology of prepubertal rat testes subjected to various durations of spermatic cord torsion.

Sixty prepubertal rats were subjected to unilateral spermatic cord torsion for a duration of 0, 1, 3, 5, 9 or 12 hours. At the end of this period, the ipsilateral testes either were removed for immediate processing or subjected to detorsion and orchiopexy, followed by a six-week recovery period prior to histologic study. Twelve histologic parameters were each scored according to the degree of pathologic findings, thus allowing for a quantitative assessment of testicular damage. The sequence of specific histologic degeneration that occurred with spermatic cord torsion is described. These changes were found to be dependent on the duration of torsion, with the greatest damage occurring after three hours or more. In the animals undergoing detorsion followed by a six-week recovery period, severe degeneration was noted for all durations of torsion studied. The extent of this degeneration was significantly correlated with a reduction in fertility.