1 big scar - 1 testicle = ?

May 11, 2009 7:02 PM

What are some medical reasons that would warrant an operation removing one testicle from a 5 or 6 year old boy?

My partner only has one testicle (which is absolutely a non-issue to me), but he wasn't born that way and he doesn't know why it was surgically removed when he was very young. He has a scar slightly below his left hip bone that is almost five inches long, running horizontally across his pelvic area. The only memories he has of this are vague, very early childhood memories of being examined by a doctor and then being anesthetized on an operating table. His parents never talked to him about it when he hit puberty, and he has never asked them about it and says he never would because it would be way too awkward.

I'm curious about what kind of medical reasons there would be for an operation to remove a testicle from a 5 or 6 year old. Has this happened to anyone out there or anyone who knows some reasons for this to have happened? Just wondering about what are some probable or possible causes for this type of operation.

posted by potatopeople to health & fitness (15 comments total)

Testicular torsion

If one testicle dies, it has to be removed to prevent infection.
posted by ishotjr at 7:05 PM on May 11

The most obvious reason would be cancer, but if that had been what it was, he would probably know it.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:06 PM on May 11

I had a testicle removed after it "died", while in high school. It was the result of an infection from a sports injury. They took it out because it could have caused additional problems (infection, etc.)

I don't know about the scarring though, I don't have that.
posted by RajahKing at 7:07 PM on May 11

I was born with a testicle that hadn't migrated yet -- it was in my lower abdomen. So when I was 5, I was operated to put it back in the scrotum with the other one. Until then, I had only had "one testicle". Did he have both testicles in his scrotum before the operation? Maybe his missing testicle was in his abdomen and they couldn't move it for some reason.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 7:08 PM on May 11

I vote for
Testicular torsion
It's very common.
posted by QueerAngel28 at 7:19 PM on May 11

Maybe the big scar is from an injury he doesn't remember, in which a testicle was damaged and required removal? Memory is horribly unreliable from that age. I had a hernia operation around that age and don't remember a single thing about it except the general anaesthesia kicking in (unforgettable experience, that).

I'd just ask, seems a bit silly to not to.
posted by cj_ at 7:20 PM on May 11 [2 favorites has favorites]

Yes, perhaps testicular torsion for the missing testicle, and something unrelated for the scar. I knew someone with a similar situation, but I don't recall a big hip scar. Maybe the two scary hospital visits got mashed together in his young mind and now can't be separated.

Just going to throw this out there....is he ever going to be willing to talk to his parents about the procedure(s)? Knowing hard facts about one's medical history is mighty important.
posted by motsque at 7:32 PM on May 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

I'd guess testicular torsion, too (which I'd never heard of til watching that disturbingly hilarious episode of The Venture Brothers called "Are You There God, It's Me Dean". Pardon me for being meddlesome, but if that were my partner, I'd strongly encourage him to get over himself and ask his parents about it. If he does has a history of cancer, he has a right to know. It could impact his future healthcare.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 7:42 PM on May 11 [2 favorites has favorites]

Both torsion and trauma are possible, but I don't think that's it. The pelvic scar is unusual, as most testicular surgery is done through an incision in the scrotum. That would seem to suggest an undescended or retractile testicle which needed to be removed from the abdomen. The condition is not uncommon, but it apparently corrects itself most of the time without anything needing to be done. Rare cases do require surgical intervention, including the removal of a compromised testicle.

IANAD.
posted by valkyryn at 7:48 PM on May 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

Shouldn't he be able to get a copy of his medical records and find out exactly what it was? As long as he knows where he was living when it happened, there can't be that many possibilities for the right hospital.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 7:56 PM on May 11

Yeah, I'm with valkyryn, with the abdominal scar it sounds more like the testicle was undescended and then was found to be bad. Had the testicle descended normally why would they take it out through the abdomen? FWIW, I have had surgery on both areas and they operate on a testicle through the scrotum, and something like a hernia in the abdomen. Of course it's possible that there were two procedures.
posted by ob at 8:03 PM on May 11

Yup. I'm going undescended testicle. If it doesn't descend by a certain age, it has a higher probability of turning malignant, so they usually take it out.
posted by gramcracker at 8:06 PM on May 11

Testicular orsion hurts like hell people. The same is true for orchitis or trauma to varying degrees. These aren't things you'd forget. What valkyryn said is my best guess too.
posted by drpynchon at 8:38 PM on May 11

I agree with drpynchon, torsion was the greatest pain I've ever experience in my life, just moving a centimeter caused extreme pain. It is something that would be very hard to forget. Also, I don't know why there would be a scar near his hip, I certainly don't have one.
posted by Midnight Rambler at 5:01 AM on May 12

Mrs Roofus is a paediatric surgeon, and she votes for either an undescended testis, or testicular atrophy following damage to the testicular artery at a hernia repair.
posted by roofus at 6:12 AM on May 12 [1 favorite has favorites]