Abdominal implantation of testicles in the management of intractable testicular pain in Fournier gangrene.
Fournier gangrene (FG) is a necrotizing soft tissue infection involving the superficial and fascial planes of the perineum. In many cases of FG, debridement of the scrotum is necessary, leaving definitive management of the exposed testicles a significant surgical challenge. Frequent incidental trauma to the testicles can cause severe pain, especially in laborers. Practical surgical solutions are few and not well detailed. Various options exist, including creating a neoscrotum with adjacent thigh tissue, split-thickness skin grafts (STSGs), or even creating a subcutaneous thigh pocket. We describe a case of abdominal implantation of bilateral testicles for persistent testicular pain in a case where STSGs did not provide adequate protection, adjacent thigh skin was not available for creation of a neoscrotum, and significant cord contracture occurred. We detail the advantages and disadvantages of the commonly described techniques, including this approach, and how in select individuals this may be a suitable alternative.
1 Department of Surgery, University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, Ohio, USA.
Cyrus C
CC
Chan
Khaled
K
Shahrour
Ronald D
RD
Collier
Marlene
M
Welch
Shiliang
S
Chang
Mallory
M
Williams
D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D018934:Fournier Gangrene / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059408:Pain Management; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000601:surgery*; D013737:Testis / Q000601:surgery*; D013519:Urogenital Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*