Immunorestorative effect of lipid emulsions during total parenteral nutrition

✍ Scribed by R. G. Wilson; I. D. A. Johnston; P. J. Guillou; T. G. Brennan; J. Macfie; J. R. T. Monson; Carol Ramsden

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 133 KB
• Volume: 74
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0007-1323
• DOI: 10.1002/bjs.1800740234

✦ Synopsis

Sir

We read with interest therecent paper by Anderson et al. (Br J Surg 1986; 7 3 847-9) which suggested that patients who develop testicular torsion have an underlying defect in spermatogenesis,

We have recently reported a large series of testicular torsions' and in keeping with other have found at least 30 per cent of patients had experienced recurrent episodes of scrotal pain. We believed that the oligospermia subsequently found in these patients might be due to ischaemic damaged caused by repeated episodes of 'subacute torsion'.

In an attempt to study this theory we have investigated patients undergoing bilateral testicular fixation for recurrent scrotal pain, with hormonal assays and testicular biopsies. Fourteen patients have been investigated so far and we have found only one with evidence of partial maturation arrest in spermatogenesis. Our study continues; however, the early results suggest that those patients who are at risk of developing testicular torsion d o not have an underlying cellular defect. We would therefore disagree with the Bristol study and suggest that whilst many patients suffering testicular torsion are subsequently found to be oligospermic this is not due to a pre-existing defect in spermatogenesis.