title: Early diagnosis of testicular torsion in rats by measuring plasma d-dimer levels: comparative study with epididymitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the differential diagnosis of testicular torsion and acute epididymo-orchitis by measuring the acute increase in plasma d-dimer levels in an experimental rat model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, 1--sham operated group (acute term; 4 hours), 2--early torsion group (acute term; 4 hours), 3--late torsion group (long-term; 72 hours), 4--control of epididymitis group (vehicle injected; 0.1 ml physiologic saline injected into the left ductus deferens) (long term; 72 hours), 5--epididymitis group (0.1 ml Escherichia coli injected into the left ductus deferens), (n=6 for each group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum d-dimer levels were significantly higher compared with the sham operated group with early torsion (p=0.002). This elevation remained mildly in the late torsion group compared with the control group (p<0.001), but there was no difference between 4 and 72 hours of the testis torsions (p=0.794). On the other hand, d-dimer levels were significantly higher in the torsion groups compared to the epididymitis group (p=0.042).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study demonstrated that testicular damage that occurs following testicular torsion shows a higher increase in d-dimer levels than epididymitis, suggesting that d-dimer level can be used as a diagnostic marker of testicular torsion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Sami Ulus Women's Health and Children Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Engin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Oncology Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: fatihhizli33@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hizli
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Sami Ulus Women's Health and Children Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Çağatay Evrim
authors.initials: ÇE
authors.lastname: Afşarlar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Canan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Demirtaş
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Sami Ulus Women's Health and Children Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Apaydin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Sami Ulus Women's Health and Children Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: İbrahim
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Karaman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Sami Ulus Women's Health and Children Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayşe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karaman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D004823:Epididymitis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013086:Spermatic Cord Torsion / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; C036309:fibrin fragment D
keywords: Testicular torsion; d-dimer; epididymitis; rat model