Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38362750›Full record

ArticleAnnals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England2025

A national survey of practice for the emergency fixation of testis.

Paediatric Surgery Trainee Research Network (PSTRN) and British Urology Researchers in Surgical Training (BURST), PATHS Study Collaborators

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Paediatric Surgery Trainee Research Network (PSTRN) and British Urology Researchers in Surgical Training (BURST)Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
PATHS Study Collaborators

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionScrotal exploration for suspected testicular torsion is a common emergency procedure in the United Kingdom (UK). There is no universally agreed practice for how the testis should be fixed, or whether a nontorted testis should receive fixation. This survey aims to describe the methods used for emergency scrotal exploration and testicular fixation in the UK.

methodsAn online survey was distributed to urologists, general surgeons and specialist paediatric surgeons in approved NHS trusts, and via the email lists of collaborating organisations. The survey questioned surgeons on their operative management of a variety of common diagnoses encountered during scrotal exploration using multiple choice and free-text answers.

resultsA total of 340 responses were received from 83 institutions. Respondents included urologists (consultants, 33%; trainees, 24%), paediatric surgeons (consultants, 12%; trainees, 16%) and general surgeons. In cases of torsion, respondents predominantly perform sutured fixation (74%); however, sutureless dartos pouch fixation was used frequently (37%) by paediatric surgeons. The finding of 'bell-clapper' anatomy without torsion prompts 69% of respondents to undertake sutured fixation, but alternative nontorsion diagnoses frequently prompt use of sutureless methods (53-66%).

conclusionThis study is the largest survey of methods for emergency scrotal exploration and describes current UK practice. The majority of surgeons prefer sutured fixation in cases of torsion and/or bell-clapper anomalies, and sutureless methods in the absence of it.

Indexed as

Practice Patterns, Physicians'Spermatic Cord TorsionEmergenciesHumansMaleScrotumSurveys and QuestionnairesSuture TechniquesTestisUnited KingdomAcute scrotumGenital diseasesMaleOrchidopexyScrotal explorationTesticular fixationTesticular torsion

Identifiers

PMID38362750
PMCPMC11658877

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.