title: Time delays in presentation and treatment of acute scrotal pain in a provincial hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute scrotal pain is a urological emergency due to the possibility of testicular torsion and subsequent testicular loss if correction is not carried out in a timely manner.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective review of all patients who underwent surgical exploration for acute scrotal pain in a provincial hospital in New Zealand between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 91 cases were identified. The median delay pre-hospital was 9 h and in-hospital was 2.5 h. Patients who had a non-viable testicular torsion and patients under the age of 14 had longer pre-hospital delays of 24 and 72 h, respectively. In-hospital delays were similar between all pathologies except for non-viable testicular torsions with 7 h and 45 min. Viable testicular torsions had a median in-hospital delay of 2 h and 13 min.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Delay from the time of testicular pain until surgical exploration is important for the chances of testicular salvage and is made up mostly of pre-hospital delays. Patients under the age of 14 had longer delays pre-hospital.
authors.affiliation: Taranaki Base Hospital, New Plymouth, New Zealand.
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Falah H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: El-Haddawi
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Fancourt
authors.forename: Glen J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Farrant
authors.forename: William T C
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Gilkison
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kyle
authors.forename: Damien A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Mosquera
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012611:Scrotum; D013086:Spermatic Cord Torsion / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: acute pain; age factors; delayed diagnosis; scrotum; spermatic cord torsion