Diagnostic accuracy of hand-held Doppler in the management of acute scrotal pain.

We evaluate the reliability of hand-held Doppler (HHD) in the management of acute scrotal pain of 24 h or less duration. Between October 2003 and December 2004, patients presenting with acute scrotal pain were enrolled in this prospective study. After clinical examination, all patients had a HHD assessment. Presence or absence of Doppler arterial signals and its intensity were recorded. A blinded assessor corroborated HHD findings with the clinical, ultrasound, operative findings and final diagnosis. Primary outcome measured were sensitivity and specificity of HHD in the diagnosis of testicular torsion. Twenty-five patients presented during the study period with acute scrotal pain. The final diagnosis was testicular torsion in nine, epididymitis in 13, twisted cyst of Morgagni in two and Henoch-Schoenlein purpura in one patient. The HHD predicted all patients of testicular torsion correctly, preoperatively. HHD is a reliable diagnostic tool in the management of patients with acute scrotal pain.