Unilateral testicular torsion: abnormal histological findings in the contralateral testis--cause or effect?

A histological review of testicular biopsies of the contralateral testis, obtained at the time of surgical intervention for testicular torsion, was performed in 20 post-pubertal men. Contralateral histological abnormalities were found in 12 specimens. The duration of torsion correlated well with the viability of the involved testis but not with the presence of contralateral abnormalities. The high incidence of contralateral histological abnormalities and their nature suggest that they existed prior to the torsion since they would be unlikely to appear at such an early stage. We believe that some patients who suffer testicular torsion probably have congenital anomalies of both testes. These abnormalities involve testicular parenchyma as well as the suspension system.