Reperfusion injury following testicular torsion and detorsion in prepubertal rats.

Acute testicular torsion is a surgical emergency which requires immediate intervention. Although damage to the gonad has been well documented, it remains unknown whether the majority of injury occurs during the period of torsion (ischemia) or following detorsion (reperfusion). The aims of this study were to determine: (1) whether damage following testicular torsion-detorsion has a reperfusion component similar to that described in other tissues, and (2) whether iron-catalyzed oxygen radical formation or altered calcium homeostasis plays a role in this injury.