Sigurd Kraus

HISTORICAL MILESTONES REGARDING TORSION OF THE SCROTAL ORGANS

PURPOSE The clinical syndrome of the acute scrotum, whereby the spermatic cord or appendix testis becomes twisted, commonly affects young men. Our knowledge of this condition, however, is of relatively recent origin. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed an historical survey of torsion of the scrotal organs dating back to 1703. In Bologna in 1703 Morgagni observed the first hydatid on the caput epididymis. He described 10 hydatid cases of the testis and epididymis producing, in his opinion, the fluid of hydroceles. The first illustration of appendix testis dates from Cooper 1841. Later these testicular appendages, or hydatids, were shown to be vestigial remnants of either the müllerian duct or the wolffian structures, depending on location. Actual torsion of the appendix testis was mentioned by Ombrédanne in 1913 but the first case report was published in 1922 by Colt. Appendix testis torsion was first schematically illustrated in 1923 by Mouchet and was characterized by Dix in 1931 in a manner that is still valid today. Interestingly, the great majority of case reports since 1932 have originated from America. In 1810 Hunter described a typical case of testicular torsion, and in 1840 Delasiauve presented the first case of surgically treated testicular torsion. A schematic and original illustration of a contorted undescended testis was published in 1894 by Lauenstein. RESULTS Testicular torsion was, and still is, a true urological emergency but the historical survival rate of the testis was extremely low. Searching for improvement in clinical diagnosis, physicians have noted helpful specific signs, 1 of which is that the period of ischemia determines loss of the testis. CONCLUSIONS The historical development of diagnosis of torsion of the appendix testis and spermatic cord highlights the ever present need for careful examination, a high index of suspicion and timely therapy.

Mondor’s Disease of the Penis

Mondor’s disease of the penis has been reported after genital trauma such as stretching and torsion of the veins and can cause endothelial necrosis and thrombosis. We report a 35-year-old male with thrombosis of the penile superficial dorsal vein who did not respond to topical drug therapy. Surgical management, e.g. superficial vein resection, is the most effective therapy in refractory cases for relieving pain, diminishing skin induration and producing esthetically pleasing results.

PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCK WAVE LITHOTRIPSY AND NOISE INDUCED HEARING DAMAGE

That noise has a damaging effect on hearing has been known for many years. The risk to the hearing of patients exposed to lithotriptor noise is a controversial issue that warrants further attention, since safety measures to protect patients and staff are still not widely established.1, 2 There is currently no treatment available to reverse noise induced hearing damage. Management of the problem centers on prevention by limiting the duration or intensity of noise exposure. We report on a urologist with noise induced hearing damage after consistent exposure to extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL*).