Testicular torsion in adults: plea for its consideration early in clinical evaluation of acute scrotum.

A case of a thirty-eight-year-old man with acute scrotum is presented. Past history of transient episodes of testicular pain, negative findings on urinalysis, and lack of symptomatic relief despite antibiotic therapy plus a high index of suspicion helped establish the correct diagnosis of testicular torsion. A long delay between onset of symptoms and surgical exploration resulted in testicular infarction. A plea is made to consider torsion of the testis even in the adult with scrotal pain when all of the classic clinical criteria of epididymitis are not present.